Washed Up
by xrxdanixrx
Summary: She washed up along the river near his secluded log cabin with no memories. He couldn't just leave her to fend for herself, could he?
1. Washed Up Along the River

**A/N: **

**I'm back for another one. This is the story I promised at the end of MPMI. Please give it a try, because it has a lot to offer. Amnesia Bellas have been done, but not quite this way. **

**Just to not**e**, I'm not aiming for absolut**e** r**e**alism. If you'r**e** som**e**on**e** that n**e****e**ds a story to b**e** accurat**e** in all its asp**e**cts, th**e**n look **e**ls**e**wh**e**r**e**. This plot is **e**xciting for m**e** do, and I want it to b**e** an **e**njoyabl**e** r**e**ad for **e**v**e**ryon**e.**  
><strong>

**Thanks to Lindz26 and ShabbyApple for beta'ing, as well as MichelleMMarie and Renas40/FFpassion for pre-reading. **

* * *

><p><strong>- PART ONE -<br>CHAPTER ONE  
>*Washed Up Along the River*<strong>

Everything was numb. My toes…I couldn't feel them. My head…it was killing me. Pounding. Pounding harder.

I tried to suck in air, but my lungs were blocked. Coughing a few times helped, and suddenly, my lungs were free, and I could breathe.

My body was weak. I couldn't even open my heavy eyes. But I could feel something…on my face. It was wet, warm, and soft, moving over my cheek slowly and rhythmically. I tried to crack open an eye to see what it was, but my strength was non-existent.

I was also aware that I was soaked, cold, and lying on my stomach.

"Stop," I heard a deep voice say quietly somewhere above me, and whatever movement there was on my face suddenly halted. "What do we got here?"

I was too exhausted to open my eyes. Was someone here? Was I imagining things?

Unable to find out the answers to my questions, I dipped back out of consciousness.

The next time I awoke, not much had changed for me—I was still cold, wet, and my head was throbbing, but the slight difference was that I was flying. I could feel air swirling around my frigid skin, yet I was bundled against something warm…something comforting.

I felt safe.

I went back to sleep.

By the time I woke up again, I had strength enough to feel warm blood coursing through my body. I was lying on something cushy. I'd never been more comfortable. There was soreness in my muscles, yes, but it was lessening, becoming a dull ache.

I breathed in deeply through my nose, slipping more and more out of my slumber. My eyes cracked open a smidgen…and just as quickly, they closed.

I was in a room.

In a bed.

Slowly, I opened my tired eyes again and took in my surroundings. The room was big enough to move around in, but there wasn't any type of furniture, and the log walls were bare. There were three doors—two to my right, and one straight ahead of me.

I strained my ears to hear if anyone was perhaps outside one of those doors, but there were no voices or footsteps. Was I alone?

Pushing the blanket off me, I carefully swung my feet to the ground and stood shakily, my joints cracking with the movement. What would happen if I were to leave this room? What would I find? Curious to figure it out, I walked to one of the doors. I pressed my ear to the cold wood, but could hear nothing. Once the knob was turned and the door was pushed open, my eyes roamed over…a bathroom.

There was just a toilet, a shower, and a sink with a small mirror above it. I walked inside the dark bathroom and over to the sink. A small amount of light was peeking through the doorway, allowing me to see my reflection. My face was dully pale, and I had bags under my eyes. My lips were cracked, which I tried to resolve by licking them. A light sigh left me when I saw my hair, a disastrous tangled mess. The knots protested as I combed my fingers through it.

Looking further down, I noticed I was wearing a large, navy blue sweater that was two sizes too big for me. However, it felt warm, and I was cold.

Feeling small prickles on my arms, I pushed the sleeves up to my elbows and instantly saw varied sized cuts and scrapes all over my skin. I checked other locations on my body, seeing more marks, as well as a few bruises.

Where on earth had they come from?

After pushing my sleeves back down, I suddenly became very aware of where I was. Somewhere I didn't recognize. I left the bathroom and opened the closest door to me. It was a small walk-in closet. My eyes roamed around, taking in the clothes hanging up. They were…men's clothing. Jeans, shirts, jackets—all for a man. Feeling like I was snooping, I quickly retreated and opened the third door very cautiously.

A new room appeared. The back of a brown sofa was facing me. I could just make out a reasonably sized fireplace with a blazing fire inside. At the far end of the room, a small, circular dining table stood in an open kitchen. By the looks of it, there was just the living room, kitchen, and the one bedroom.

Moving from my still place in the doorway, my body immediately gravitated toward the hot flames, desperately needing its warmth. Even with this thick sweater, pair of sweatpants, and woolen socks I was wearing, my insides were practically numb.

As I rubbed my hands near the heat, I became nervous about what would happen if the person living here saw me standing in front of their fire. Before I could think more on it, a sound of a car alerted me. A loud engine could be heard cutting off outside.

Someone was here.

My entire body was still, anticipation coursing through me. I was nervous. I was anxious. I just wanted to know why I woke up in a strange bed. My mind was too thick and hazy to bring myself to try to remember what had happened to lead me here.

The front door unlocked, causing me to look over my shoulder to it. When it pushed open, bright light invaded the living room. Before I knew what was happening, two dogs were charging at me—one small white and caramel dog with floppy ears, and one very large black dog with patches of white and copper on various locations of its body.

I began backing up in fright, and the backs of my knees hit the sofa, causing me to topple onto the cushions. A high-pitched yapping and a low, growling bark filled the room. I shut my eyes and prayed they wouldn't attack me.

The front door slammed shut, causing my eyes to fly open. Standing at the front door was a tall, lean man with unkempt dark hair, wearing an olive green field jacket. The fire caused shadows to dance across his face, which was covered by a beard. He was staring directly at me, his hard expression sending unwelcome chills throughout my now warm body.

Who was he? He didn't look familiar to me. Was this his home?

The barking dogs ran to the man, circling him, and heeled at his feet. He patted the head of the large one and said something quietly to it that I couldn't make out.

The man hadn't moved from his spot, his narrowed eyes assessing me. He crossed his arms in front of him. "Finally awake," he spoke, his bass voice having a touch of hardness that made me feel uncomfortable.

I merely stared at him, not able to voice a response due to shock, fear, and unfamiliarity.

"Do you talk or are you just gonna sit there?" he asked, appearing impatient.

This man scared me, though I didn't feel he would hurt me…I hoped. I needed to communicate with him, however, in order to answer my questions. "Why am I here?" I asked, my voice a rasp, sounding unused.

A crease lined his forehead. "You tell me," he replied.

I didn't understand him. I woke up in a weird bed, unsure of my surroundings, and he wanted _me_ to tell _him_ why I was here? I was sure my expression mirrored my bewilderment.

He dropped his arms, and his nostrils flared, a darkness crossing his features. "You washed up along the river this morning near _my_ property," he revealed indignantly. "You've been out cold for nine hours."

I'd washed up along a river? That couldn't be. That just wasn't normal. Though, I did have a faint recollection of coughing up water. But wasn't that just a dream?

"Oh…," I said, deep in thought as I tried to figure out the purpose for my being in a river in the first place. "Um…do you know why?"

He gave me a look as if I was the craziest person in the world. Instead of answering, he finally moved from his spot and walked past me in long strides, heading straight for the kitchen. He opened a door, which from what I could tell was a pantry. He took something out of there, and I craned my neck to see better, but it didn't help, since his back was turned to me.

He was making a lot of noise, banging things, not acknowledging I was even here. The two dogs had settled by the legs of the table, as if it was part of some routine.

The man finally turned around, holding a plate in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. Without looking at me once, he walked to the small table and scraped a chair back. I watched as he sat down, wondering if he would continue talking to me again. Finally, his head turned in my direction. He had that same annoyed look from earlier that I didn't much care for.

"Well, sit down," he ordered, gesturing to the only other chair across from him.

I blinked a few times, but stood to do as he said. He went back to ignoring me immediately, ripping off a piece of bread from the loaf and stuffing it in his mouth. I cautiously moved the chair back and sat down. The plate that was in the middle of the table had refried beans in it. I wondered if it was for him. He didn't seem to want it.

That was when I realized how hungry I was. God…I was _starving_. But I wasn't sure if I was allowed to eat his food. Maybe I didn't want to eat his food. I didn't exactly know him.

He continued to tear pieces of bread and scarf them, while I stared down at the table, unsure of myself and too scared to speak.

A deep groan suddenly escaped him, and he stood from his chair, going into the kitchen. He pulled open a drawer, took out a spoon, and came back to the table. With a loud clatter, he carelessly dropped the spoon in front of me as he sat back down. The action made me flinch, and my head began to pound, causing me to not be so hungry anymore. But I knew I needed to eat, so I tore off a small piece of bread for myself. I could feel his eyes glowering at me, making me shiver, but I refused to look up at him.

There was a light nudge on my leg, so I looked down. The smaller dog was staring up at me with such adorable, expectant eyes. My heart practically melted. Its tongue came out and it panted. I wondered if it was hungry.

"Are you hungry?" I asked softly, and brought my hand under the table that was holding my piece of bread so it could eat.

"Sadie!" the man snapped ferociously, causing the little dog to cower in fear and move a good distance away from me.

I slowly looked up at him, my eyes gradually turning to thin slits. I assumed the dog's name was Sadie, who was a girl. That fact made me angry. How could he shout at such a sweet, little creature? If she was looking to me for food, that meant she was hungry. I couldn't have just denied her, even if I was hungry myself.

"You don't have to yell at her," I spoke as I glared at him. I felt protective of Sadie, and I wondered if she got bad treatment from him often.

He raised a challenging eyebrow, not looking very amused at all. Without a response, he grabbed the plate and dragged it loudly across the table toward himself. He took the spoon, dug it roughly into the beans, and brought it to his mouth. His incinerating stare never left me as he ate.

I didn't know what his deal was, but I decided I didn't like him at all. He seemed like a heartless bully.

Attempting to ignore him, I took a small bite of the bread I was still holding. As I chewed, I let my eyes wander around, but I wasn't really looking at anything specific. Meanwhile, I sneakily brought my hand back under the table and down to my legs. Within a few seconds, I could feel a nudge in my palm, and soon, the piece of bread was gone. I let my fingers run through Sadie's soft fur, petting her affectionately.

After that, I developed a routine; I'd take a piece of bread, bite into it, and then give the rest to her under the table. The rude man didn't seem to notice as he continued eating in silence. The bread wasn't enough for me, and I sort of wished I had more to eat, but I refused to ask him for anything.

More than half of the loaf had been eaten by me when the man stood up and silently walked to the door next to the pantry that I figured led out to the back of the house. He opened it, but instead of going through, he turned to me and nudged his head to the side, gesturing for me to follow. With that, he disappeared.

Curious why I was to follow him, I pushed my chair back and ventured out of the house. My eyes scoured the scenery before me. Giant trees with thin, reddish-brown trunks towered overhead, the sun barely able to shine past them. Nothing was around except tree after tree. It was intimidating, to say the least.

The man stood a few yards away at a tree stump. My sock covered feet prickled over the short grass as I made my way to him. I took a brief glance back at the house, which appeared to be a very modest log cabin with smoke from the chimney billowing up to the sky.

His back was facing me as he stared down at the stump. As I grew closer, I saw a heavily wrinkled outfit laid out over it—a pair of light gray yoga pants, a white tank top, and a thin black jacket with a white strip down the length of the arms. All the articles of clothes had one thing in common—each had large tears and rips in the fabric. On the ground was a dirty pair of white running shoes.

"Whose are these?" I found myself asking him.

He furrowed his brow at me and then looked down at the clothes. "Yours," he muttered through his teeth.

This outfit was mine? Had I been wearing it when I washed up? It didn't really look like something I'd want to wear. Then again, I couldn't actually picture what I'd prefer to wear. Perhaps he was lying? Would he really lie about clothes?

Looking down at myself, I began to ponder. If I had been wearing that before, and now I was wearing something different, then that meant I had changed. I couldn't remember changing…and definitely not into these baggy clothes…

Oh my God! _He'd_ changed me. These were his clothes! I flushed ten shades of red, realizing he'd probably seen me naked, especially since I couldn't feel myself wearing a bra _or _underwear.

Why had he done that? That was an invasion of privacy! I was curious, though, because he didn't even seem to acknowledge my train of thought. Surely, he had to know I would put two and two together.

Trying to stop myself from thinking so much, I reached down to take the outfit, which was why I supposed he brought me out here.

"Well, you can't wear them now," he snapped, causing my hand to retract quickly. "_Obviously_, they're ruined. The shoes, you can wear." Seemingly finished, he turned and stalked back to the cabin.

I sighed heavily and slipped my feet into the shoes. A snug fit, but that was only because of the thick socks. My nose wrinkled, realizing the sneakers were soaked through and through. As I walked back to the cabin, they made loud and embarrassing squishing sounds.

Upon entering the house again, the man was standing at the opened front door, waiting for me. God…_now_ where did he want me to follow him? All this back and forth was making me nauseous.

He didn't bother to look at me when I reached him; instead, choosing to gaze out the doorway. "You're going to go left out here, then straight down the path until you see a large boulder," he began instructing quickly, causing me to furrow my brow in confusion. "From there, go right until you reach the road. Make a_ left_ again, and you'll hit where you need to go. There's a phone there and everything." With that, he pulled the door open wide and made a gesture with his hand for me to leave.

He was sending me out…alone? My head was still hurting, and I couldn't seem to think straight, but it wasn't like I wanted his company, anyway. He'd made it blatantly clear that I wasn't welcome.

Somewhere deep down, I felt like I could take care of myself, even though I was frightened and wasn't exactly sure what had happened to me. No, I didn't need anyone to take care of me, and I could feel that confirmed right down to my core.

I took a step out onto the front porch of the cabin, but immediately remembered that, technically, he'd saved me. He may have been a jerk, but it was a kind gesture to anyone's standards. I should thank him.

But as I spun around to do just that, the door slammed directly in my face. A second later, several locks turned, followed by heavy footsteps walking away.

Well…never mind, then…

I walked off the porch and glanced around. More giant trees. A dark green, slightly rusty truck parked around the side of the porch was his, I guessed.

With a heavy sigh, I did exactly what the man had said. I went right.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Oops, I'm pr****etty sure he said left. :-s**

**If you got this far, thanks so much for reading. Updates will be weekly, on Tuesday. I've pre-written a lot, so it should be smooth for a while. I'll most likely get into a flow of posting teasers, though I haven't decided where yet, so go ahead and follow me on Twitter to know more. **

**See ya next Tuesday! **

****Twitter: xrxdanixrx - for teasers and other story related junk.****


	2. You Just Had to Go Right, Didn't You?

**A/N: **

**Great response. You guys are awesome for supporting this. Let's continue on where we left off. **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Ernie to my Bert. She helped me so much this chapter, and I'm eternally grateful.**

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING: this chapter might contain a disturbing scene, depending on your level of tolerance. It's not too bad in my opinion, but I thought I'd just warn anyway. <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<br>*You Just Had to Go Right, Didn't You?***

The path looked more like two parallel tire tracks that had withered away the grass over time, leaving only the dark earth beneath. Had that man made these with his truck? He must've driven down this path several times, if so.

My head was starting to hurt less, thank God, and I could finally think clearly. So many questions were rattling my brain as I continued to walk, looking for this "large boulder," as directed.

The question that seemed to be screaming at me was _where was I_? Looking around, I knew I was in some sort of forest, but I'd never seen these kinds of giant trees before.

The next question I contemplated involved the river the man said I washed up from. What had I been doing that would so coldly knock me out? There was no doubt I'd been roughed up—the scratches on my arms were proof of that—but what had led to that? And why couldn't I remember?

The fact that I was having trouble remembering something like that had my stomach knotting. I should know that, shouldn't I? To be honest, I was having a hard time remembering _anything_.

Frantically trying to prove to myself that I wasn't going out of my mind, I went through a sort of checklist of basic questions in my brain.

_Name my job. _

_Okay…yeah…no clue. _

_Uh…what else? Car! What kind of car do I drive? _

_Nope. Nothing. _

_Alright, simpler than that. Age. I've gotta know my age. _

I racked my brain…_really_ trying to think of the answer.

_23? _

_You can't just guess! If you're guessing, then you clearly don't know your own age. _

_Never mind. Name? _

_My name is…? _

_What is my name? _

I couldn't believe it. I didn't even know my name. This was bad— _Quick! Name a celebrity. _

_Brad Pitt. _

Well, that was easy. So, why did I have a hard time remembering something that had nothing to do with me, but personal facts were impossible to recall? Maybe this was just a temporary thing; after all, my brain still seemed to be tired. Hopefully, by the time I got to this phone, I'd be able to think of who exactly I was supposed to call.

I'd been walking for quite some time now, and I noticed that there was no boulder. Just trees, grass, and various bushes. Everything was so green. It was quite beautiful, to be honest, and the sounds of nature only added to it.

I moved along the path, looking around. _There_. Next to the path, up ahead, was something gray. As I got closer, I frowned. It was a rock…not a boulder…and certainly not a _large boulder_. A teeny, tiny rock in comparison. He must've been mistaken. If not, something would've come up by now.

With a heavy sigh, I turned left, walking away from the path and through more trees. The sun descended toward the horizon with every step I took, causing me to quicken my pace. I didn't want to be out here, alone, while it was night time.

Several minutes went by of just trees, until I came upon a road, just like the man said. I blew out a breath of air, so grateful I hadn't been led astray. The road had two very narrow lanes with shoulders consisting of just dirt. Wow…I was somewhere far out. There weren't any establishments along the road, just more forest. And there were no cars in sight, either.

I turned right and walked along the shoulder, heading to my unknown destination. It was starting to get chilly, and I was thankful I had on this sweater.

Finally, I could see a mailbox coming up on the opposite side of the road. It was next to the start of a very long dirt driveway that was nestled inside the continuing forest. I could make out a small house at the very end. I supposed that was where I needed to go, considering there was nothing else remotely in sight.

After crossing the street, I trekked down the driveway, coming up to a one-story, white house that looked dirty and uncared for. There were various parts of rusty car frames scattered around the front lawn of the house, along with a solitary green sofa that appeared to have been sawed in half with a chainsaw.

I hadn't realized, but I'd stopped dead in my tracks. Something didn't feel right. I was hesitant to move forward, or even backward. All I could do was stare at the house.

The man had said I could make a phone call here, and he hadn't exactly been accurate about the directions, given the lack of a large boulder, but he had still helped me more than anyone might have. And even though this place looked…questionable…I was sure I could trust him.

So, with a sense of resolve, I stepped up on the rickety front porch and knocked on the door. I could hear footsteps inside come close to the door and then walk away, causing my brow to furrow.

After a minute of no answer, I knocked again. The footsteps came back and stopped. I swore I could hear breathing. Still no answer, though.

"Hello?" I called, worried.

Within a few seconds, I could hear the sound of several locks turning, and finally, the door creaked open, but only a smidgen. A dark eye appeared through the slit in the door, giving me the one-over. The chill that ran through me wasn't from the cold wind picking up.

"What?" a rough, male voice asked.

"Um, sorry to intrude," I began, trying to keep my voice even. "I was told I could use your phone."

"By who?" His tone was hard, but there was caution laced in there, as well.

"I don't really know him. That's just what I was told," I replied, and wondered if I should turn around. This couldn't be the only house on the road, but since it was beginning to get dark, this seemed to be my only option.

After a pause, the man stepped away, and the door opened further, revealing the inside of his home, which was just as much a mess as his front lawn.

"Thank you," I murmured politely, and stepped inside. As I shut the door, I noticed he was gone. Odd. But I could hear noises inside a room at the other end of the house, so I supposed he was there to give me privacy.

Looking around the living room, there were several newspaper clippings pinned to the walls. Though I was tempted to look at them, I didn't. I just wanted to place my call and then leave as quickly as I could.

There was a telephone right on the arm of a cheaply made sofa. I walked to it and picked up the handle of the very '60s retro phone. It had one of those turning dials.

I brought the receiver up to my ear and placed a finger in one of the holes. Okay, but who was I dialing? _Please don't tell m_e_ I still can't remember._

It was then that I realized there wasn't even a dial tone.

A white cloth suddenly appeared in my vision and roughly covered my mouth, a strong, pungent scent filling my nostrils. I dropped the phone to the floor, made a loud, strangled noise into the cloth, and attempted to step back, but that only caused me to collide into something hard.

"_Shhh_, don't fight, girl," an ominous voice breathed into my ear.

I took a deep breath, gearing up to scream, but before I could, my entire system shut down on me, and then there was nothing.

X-X-X-X

Slowly, I opened my eyes, but couldn't see through the thick haze. I felt weak and groggy. My wrists were sore, entrapped by something rough. I tried to pull them to me, but they would only go so far before they'd bounce back. Blinking a few more times, my vision started to return.

I was in the center of a wrought iron bed, my wrists bound by thick ropes tied to the iron frame above my head. My first, automatic reaction was fear. Who had done this to me?

"Where the hell is it?" a deep, grainy voice murmured.

My head turned to the voice that was located in the darkest corner of the small room. There was a man hunched over a cardboard box, searching frantically through it. He looked to be in his 40s, wore a black baseball cap, and had on a gray colored flannel jacket. I couldn't see his face, but I didn't think I wanted to…especially if he was the one that put me here.

Orange light was flickering against the walls, which I realized was coming from the single candle lit on the nightstand next to the bed.

I didn't like this at all, and I knew I needed to get out of here immediately, so I tried with all my might to slip my hands through the ropes. I could feel the skin of my wrists tearing, and I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep from crying out.

After a bit of struggling, my strength had diminished. It was no use; the ropes were too tightly bound. As a last ditch effort, I tried to yank my hands to me.

Big mistake.

The iron frame banged loudly against the wall, causing the man to halt his rummaging and whip his head to me.

Finally able to see his face, I noticed the deep lines around his eyes and mouth. At one point, he probably could've been good looking, but not anymore. He chuckled deep in his throat, showing he had several missing teeth, and stood, holding a long, flat, wooden paddle.

My breath hitched violently, my eyes going wide. "Please, just let me go," I pleaded, hoping he wasn't going to use that on me. By the looks of things, he was.

He inched toward me, like a predator stalking their prey. My breaths grew uneven with each step, terror coursing through me. His giant frame towered over my almost limp body. He brought his hand to my face and ran a single, dirty finger down my lips, chin, neck, and stopped directly in the center of my chest. I didn't move a muscle, my heart pounding loudly and moisture welling up in my eyes.

"You just shut up now," he said in a sickly sweet tone. "I promise I'll make you feel good."

He snatched his hand back and set the paddle on the bed, next to my legs. I watched as he went back to the box and began taking out item after item and setting them on the ground. He removed something that looked like a leather strap with a red ball in the center and then came back to me.

It was a gag. He was going to gag me!

"Please, don't. I swear I won't talk," I begged, pulling against the ropes again, even though I knew it was no use.

Not listening to me, he stuffed the ball in my mouth against my will and strapped the leather band around the back of my head. Tears streaked down my face, and I choked from the intrusion. I hated feeling this defenseless. I should've trusted my instincts and never came here.

"Folks 'round here call me Crazy Crowley," he murmured, more to himself than me. What a fitting name. He took a step back, his eyes roaming lustily over the expanse of my pathetically helpless body. "One year ago, a girl came to my house. She was lost and needed directions. I invited her in. A few days later, parts of her body were found in a garbage bag, floating down the river." He smiled darkly and grabbed the candle. "Police still don't know who did it." His free hand lifted the hem of my sweatshirt, revealing my bare stomach. "You look just like her." He tilted the candle over my stomach, liquid wax trickling down and searing my skin.

I cried out, my eyes squeezing shut. It was painful for a brief moment, but it quickly hardened, leaving me in more of a state of shock than anything. He was going to use me than kill me. And there was nothing I could do about it. I began to sob hard, whimpering and praying for my salvation.

"You're lucky there's no one for miles, girl," he warned, and set the candle down. "No one can hear you scream." He pointed to the paddle. "See this? This is what it'll be next if you keep makin' noise." He turned and went back to the box, pulling out more items, including a string of beads. "We're gonna have fun."

A loud crash outside the room caused us both to look toward the bedroom door.

"What the damn hell was that?" Crazy Crowley hissed to himself, throwing the beads into the box in anger.

Another crash sounded and large footsteps burrowed through the house. Someone was here. I screamed as loud as I could, hoping whoever was here would help me. I didn't care who it was. I just needed to get out of here!

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath, and began stuffing things back in his box at the speed of light. He quickly moved to me, his hands flying to the gag to undo it, but didn't get the chance to finish.

The door suddenly banged open, slamming against the wall, which caused Crazy Crowley to freeze. The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway. I whimpered, pleading for him to see me and help me. A bright light switched on in the room, and I gasped.

The man that saved me before. He was here.

He was holding a shotgun, pointed directly at Crazy Crowley. His eyes were ablaze, not even regarding me. I could see the strain in his neck, his veins popping out.

"Masen," Crazy Crowley said, and I detected a hint of fear, "there's nothing going on here—just me and my girlfriend having some fun."

I shook my head fervently. He was lying!

The man, who Crowley called Masen, pumped the gun and angled it an inch to the left. Abruptly, he fired a loud shot. The illuminated lamp on the nightstand burst and crumbled to the ground. I flinched and tried to wrangle out of the ropes.

"Jesus fucking—!" Crazy Crowley cried, covering his head with his arms.

"Untie her, Crowley, or it'll be your head next," Masen growled, and pointed the shotgun at him again.

Not wasting a second, Crowley began untying the ropes around my wrists. Once that was done, he flitted to the far side of the room, away from the bed. I brought my hands to my chest, rubbing my sore wrists. Sitting up was difficult, but I managed to with effort and swung my feet to the ground. I reached up to the back of my head, undid the gag, and tossed it to the floor.

Rage began to bubble up inside of me. I'd been completely defenseless, and if it weren't for Masen, I would've been molested then chopped up and thrown into a garbage bag.

On impulse, I wrapped my hand around the handle of the wooden paddle on the bed and stood. The coward in the corner was staring at me with wide eyes as I approached him. "Sick pervert," I seethed, swung my arm back, and crashed the paddle forward into his shoulder.

He yelled out in pain and dropped to his knees.

"Don't like that, huh?" I goaded sardonically, and attempted to whack him over the head, but I was suddenly being pulled backward by the wrist. I dropped the paddle reluctantly and spun around.

Masen was yanking me out of the room quicker than my legs could keep up. As we exited the house and entered the cold night, I couldn't take his deathly grip on my raw wrist anymore, so I yanked it out of his hold. My steps faltered as I soothed it, trying to rub the pain away.

"Goddamnit," he muttered, glaring at me, and strapped the shotgun sling over his shoulder. Suddenly, I was lifted off the ground, one of his arms hooked under my knees and another around my back.

I wanted to yell at him to put me down—I wasn't _that_ helpless for heaven's sake—but he was moving faster than I ever could.

He sprinted down the driveway, approaching his truck that was parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. Without setting me down, he opened the passenger door and practically threw me into the seat. I yelped out in surprise at the force in which he slammed the door. He was murmuring expletives as he rounded the truck and got into the driver's side.

The engine roared to life, and the truck screeched forward as Masen slammed on the accelerator. We were burrowing down the solitary road, paying no mind to the lanes. He was deathly silent, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. I could feel the heat of his anger radiating off him.

He had saved me…

Again.

However, he didn't seem too happy about it.

Suddenly, his fist slammed into the dashboard, causing me to jump in my seat. "You just had to go _right_, didn't you?" he asked venomously, keeping his eyes on the road.

More than a little terrified of the situation I'd just come out of, I didn't respond.

"I said _left_! LEFT DAMNIT!" he shouted, and rubbed a hand over his face, as if exhausted.

The truck moved off the road, finding the same path I'd walked on earlier in the day…only it wasn't the same. The surroundings looked different.

Several minutes passed of silence between us. My wrists were starting to hurt less as I continued rubbing them. There would probably be marks there tomorrow.

A large boulder came into view, passing by my side. It was the one that he had described. I frowned at myself. I'd gotten the directions wrong. So, where was I supposed to end up?

The familiar cabin could be seen coming up quickly as he raced to it. I almost breathed a sigh of relief, having the same tingling feelings as someone who was going home after a long day. But I quickly caught my reaction. This wasn't my home. I wasn't welcome here, as Masen had made clear. Then…where was my home?

The truck came to an abrupt stop outside the cabin, and he shut off the engine.

"How did you find me?" I questioned curiously.

He opened his door roughly, but didn't make a move to get out. He only turned his head a fraction toward me. "You can thank Sadie," he said through gritted teeth, and then he was out of the truck. The door slammed shut, and I was left alone.

I sighed and fingered the handle of the door as I eyed him. He was already on the front porch. After disappearing inside, I noticed he left the front door wide open. Was he going to let me stay with him another night? Right now, I wasn't sure where I could go with it being so dark, so I pulled on the handle and hopped down to the ground.

That sweet, little dog of his, Sadie, came rushing out of the house to me. I smiled and squatted down. She stopped right at my bent knees and began sniffing my clothes furiously. I wondered if that was how Masen had found me. Had she sniffed out my scent?

I scratched her head. "Thank you, Sadie," I spoke quietly, and stood straight.

We both entered the cabin. A fire was lit, illuminating the living room. Masen was nowhere to be found as I shut the door behind me. But when I drew closer to the closed bedroom, I could hear a shower running. He was in there.

The larger dog was lying on the ground in front of the fire. As soon as he spotted me, he sat up and began to growl. My eyes went wide at his ferociousness. I made sure to avoid looking at him as I stood next to the bedroom door, uncertain what I should be doing.

The pipes suddenly switched off with a squeak. I pressed my ear to the door and tried to listen in on him. I felt like some sort of peeping Tom, but I couldn't help it. He'd saved me from being taken advantage of, yelled at me on the way over, then just walked into the house, giving me no acknowledgement. He confused me.

The door abruptly swung open, revealing Masen dressed in a short sleeved gray shirt and red flannel pajama pants. I gasped and took a step to the side, out of his way. His clear, green eyes were hard on me. I'd never looked properly at them, and it was unnerving that I was so captivated by them.

He had a pillow tucked under his toned arm, and I wondered briefly if that was for me, until he walked past me, threw it on the arm of the sofa, and laid down, resting his head on it. Not a word was uttered as I heard him exhale loudly.

If he would just say something…anything to me, it would help me so much. As it was, I still couldn't remember who I was, and everything I did seemed to annoy him. Then he had to go and save me from Crazy Crowley, only to ignore me and treat me as if I were a pariah.

With a deep frown, I walked into the bedroom and saw a single pillow on the bed. He'd taken the other one, but he hadn't taken the blanket. I went around the side of the bed and sat on the edge, exhausted.

If there was anything I hoped I never remembered again, it was the events of today. In a heartbeat, I would trade the disturbing memories of this day for any knowledge about myself. But as it was, that wasn't possible.

I lay down on my side, bundling myself into a tight ball. My eyes slipped shut of their own accord. Before I gave myself over to sleep, a single tear slipped from my closed eye, scared for what my life would become.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Don't worry about Crazy Crowley. He won't go unpunished. Thanks for reading. **


	3. Miss Santa Clarita Valley

**A/N: **

**Thank you for your reviews. I can't answer them all, but I do appreciate them.  
><strong>

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Gilligan to my Skipper.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<br>*Miss Santa Clarita Valley***

When I awoke the next morning, I didn't feel as sad as when I'd gone to sleep. This was a new day, and I was going to make the most of it. I would talk to Masen and tell him my situation. Hopefully, he'd help me find my way.

Then again maybe I was being too optimistic. After all, this was the man who threw me out of his house mere hours after he found me passed out along a river. His kindness seemed to come with a price, and it all involved me getting the brunt of his anger and annoyance.

As I sat up in bed, I realized I hadn't showered in…well, I wasn't sure when I'd showered last, but I definitely hadn't yesterday. I went out of the bedroom to ask him if it would be okay to take one, but was faced with an empty house. No dogs; no Masen. Where had he gone?

Walking to the window, I couldn't detect his truck. He must've been gone for the morning…or was it afternoon? The sky was covered in dark gray clouds, threatening to unleash a downpour of rain. Hopefully, he wouldn't get stuck in the storm.

With a sigh, I decided to take the initiative and went back into the bedroom, then into the bathroom. I opened the shower door and switched on the warm water. There was a single bar of soap, which I gathered was his, but I certainly wasn't using that.

After shedding my clothes, I got in and exhaled slowly as the hot water ran over my hair and bare shoulders. It was like I was washing away everything from yesterday. With my eyes closed, I automatically reached for some shampoo, but groaned when I recalled that I hadn't seen any.

I could've stayed in here forever, but I was afraid Masen would come home and get volatile at not asking his permission, so I turned off the water, wrung my hair, and stepped out. It was then that I noticed there was no towel for me, only _his, _hanging up on a nearby rack. Using his towel would be weird, so I just grabbed my clothes—his clothes—and threw them back on.

Checking the living room again, he still wasn't back. My stomach was starting to fuss, and my eyes immediately darted to the kitchen. I pondered if he'd have anything for me to eat and was so tempted to raid his refrigerator and pantry, but thought against it. The shower was already enough of a reason for him to be his grumpy self; I didn't need to give him another.

So, I sat on the sofa, and I waited. And waited. And waited…

Finally, a good hour or so later, I could hear the chugging of his truck come to a stop outside. I looked over my shoulder at the door as it opened. Both dogs came pummeling into the house, Sadie coming directly to me. She hopped up on the sofa, and I giggled as she attempted to stand on her hind legs to lick my face. But as soon as I saw Masen hanging up his shotgun, my smile dropped.

The larger dog began barking loudly when he saw me on the couch.

"Easy, Tucker," Masen spoke to him, and paid me no mind as he walked past me to the kitchen, carrying a medium-sized cooler.

Almost instantly, Tucker walked to the unlit fireplace and lay down in front of it. Sadie crawled into my lap, so I scratched her head.

"I hope you don't mind, but I used your shower," I admitted.

There was no response from Masen, except the clanking of pots and slamming of cupboard doors. I looked at him to see he was lighting the stove. Did he even _know_ I was here? This very attitude made me wonder why he saved me from Crowley yesterday. If he didn't have a care that I was here, then what did it matter if I was getting molested by a psycho with a fetish for bondage and killing?

With a huff, I turned forward again and decided to ignore him. Well, I could pretend he wasn't here, too. Except…I couldn't…because I _knew_ he was here. It was as if I was aware of every single movement he made. I didn't like it. I wanted to shut him out.

After much more banging, clanking, and loads of other noises that I refused to investigate, it all stopped. His heavy footsteps echoed somewhere behind me, followed by something scraping along the wooden floor. Sadie and Tucker ditched me in a flash, running to where Masen was.

Not able to help myself, I casually peeked over my shoulder to see him digging into a plate of cooked fish with his fingers. There was another plate of the same meal set out across from him as well as a glass of water. Without looking up from his dish, he pushed the plate further to the edge and went back to his meal.

He wanted me to eat.

Okay…

I got up and took a seat at the table. He hadn't set out any forks or knives, since he seemed to enjoy eating with his fingers. I decided to do the same begrudgingly. The fish was good; although, I didn't know exactly what kind it was. To me, it was just a fish. Had he caught this or bought it from someplace?

I could feel the same little nudge on my leg that I felt yesterday, so I sneakily gave a piece of fish to Sadie. Could dogs eat fish? Oh well.

Masen was already done with his food, while I was only half way. Never the less, I was beginning to get full. I found it odd that he didn't want to know anything about me…not that I had much to say on the subject, but anyone would naturally be curious why I'd washed up from a river. He didn't even seem fazed in the least.

He got up from the table, taking his plate with him, and set it in the sink. After washing his hands for a brief second, he walked straight to the bedroom and disappeared inside. I gathered my plate and empty drinking glass, then took them to the sink, resting them on top of his dish.

As I washed my hands, I decided to just clean the dishes, as well. After all, there were only three. Once I dried them with a cloth, I attempted to put them away, but had a tough time locating their proper resting place. Finally, I found it—a cupboard next to the fridge that had more plates and cups.

"Let's go," I heard behind me.

I spun around to see Masen leaning against his bedroom doorway, staring intensely at me. It made me feel self-conscious. He turned his head away and moved toward the front door.

Before I could ask where we were going, he was out of the house. There was a crash of thunder, and I nearly jumped about two feet high. In a rush, I followed after him.

Light drizzle fell to the ground outside as I got into his truck, but once I shut the door, the rain gradually picked up. He turned on the engine, headlights, windshield wipers, and then pulled away from the cabin.

I was unsure where he was taking me, but I decided not to ask. I didn't think he'd answer, anyway, since he enjoyed ignoring me.

After some time, the large boulder came up…taunting me. That Crowley guy should be arrested. He didn't actually do anything to me, but from what he implied, there had been someone else he'd done the same thing to. I wished there was something I could do, but as it was, I could barely figure out what to do for myself. Hopefully, he got what he deserved.

When the road came up, Masen stopped the car as we waited for a large semi-truck to pass. There was another directly behind that one. And another. My goodness, how many trucks were going to pass? After the fourth, he finally pulled onto the road.

Coming up ahead, I could see a small, lit up sign that said _Redwood Tavern_. Behind it was a one-story structure that had blackened windows, making it hard to tell if anyone was actually inside, but based on the amount of trucks and cars here, I'd say that wasn't an issue.

Masen slowed the truck and made a left into the dirt parking lot surrounding the place. As we pulled into a space, two large men walked by my window, laughing obnoxiously, and went inside. The sounds of more laughter and talking streamed out to us.

_What is this, some sort of bar? Why'd he take me here? _

The engine switched off, and Masen reached into his front pocket. He removed four quarters and held his palm out to me. I eyed it warily. Seemingly aggravated, he grabbed my arm, opened my tightly closed fist, and dropped the quarters into it, then snatched his hand back.

"There's a payphone in there. Make your call," he spoke gruffly, and started the engine again.

I blinked at him several times before I made a move. The rain had picked up even more, and as I stepped out, I became drenched. I watched as his truck slowly reversed out of the space, the headlights blinding me, and drove back onto the road, vanishing out of sight.

So, that was it? He was just going to leave me here after everything that had happened?

Cold, wet, and beginning to shiver, I headed to the entrance door. As soon as I opened it, warmth enveloped me…as well as the scent of stale smoke and alcohol.

The dimly lit place was swarming with drunk, rowdy men. There were several booths and tables set up that were occupied by these men, and at the back was a long bar counter with wooden stools. A red neon sign hung above the bar, displaying the word _Budweiser_. In a separate room adjacent the bar was a solitary pool table with a few burly men crowded around it.

I swallowed thickly, not feeling comfortable here by myself. I could feel the heat from the quarters in my palm and remembered what Masen said. A payphone was right next to the door, so I went to it, picked up the handle, and pushed my quarters into the coin slot.

_Who am I calling? _

What was the use of a phone if I didn't know who I needed to talk to? I tried to rack my brain for any sort of familiar number combination, but nothing came to mind, except a few essential digits that anyone would know.

My finger pressed down on the numbers, and I waited patiently as it rang, trying to avoid looking over my shoulder at the many eyes that I could feel staring at my back.

An automated service came on, causing me to frown. A robotic voice asked me what city and state I was in. I didn't know the answer to that, so I stayed silent. It told me to repeat it. I couldn't; I didn't know! It clearly got annoyed with me, because it said I was being transferred to an actual person. Thank God.

"City and state, please?" a real woman asked.

My nostrils flared angrily. If I didn't know the answer before, then how was I going to know it now?

"I don't know," I replied, more than a little annoyed, but then sighed. Maybe she could help me. "I'm somewhere where there are a lot of trees...and..." _Try to be more specific! _"They're, um…really big."

"Excuse me?" the woman asked dryly.

I pinched my eyebrows together. "I'm not exactly sure where I am. Do you know?"

I could hear her mumble something, and then the line went dead.

"No, no! Wait!" I exclaimed frantically, but it was no use.

After slamming the phone on the hook, my coins came back out. I tried to grab them all at the same time, but one tumbled to the ground, rolling across the floor. It slowed to a stop a couple feet away and rattled against the floorboards.

I bent down to get it, but before I could pick it up, a black, muddy boot stepped on it. My wide eyes roamed up the expanse of a long leg, elongated torso, and stopped at the sight of a middle aged man's face. He had a thick, black beard and wore a baseball cap. There was a bottle of Budweiser in his hand, an amused smirk on his face.

"I'll give you a lot more than a quarter if you come with me," he propositioned, and chuckled.

I was frozen, still squatted on the ground and unsure how to react. But I didn't get a chance to reply, because he glanced somewhere above my head, furrowed his brow, and then walked away casually to the pool table area.

I quickly grabbed the quarter and stood. Curious what deterred the large man, I looked over my shoulder. I blinked rapidly when I saw Masen standing in the entrance way, staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you make your call?" he questioned.

"Uh…" I fumbled, "yes, but I—"

"Good," he interrupted, and stalked off to the bar, leaving me up at the front. He took a seat at a stool.

What was I supposed to do now? I'd called 4-1-1, but they hadn't been _any _help. Defeated, I followed Masen's tracks and went to the bar. There were several stools available, including one right next to him, but I sat three away. He didn't acknowledge my presence in the least, so it wasn't like it mattered.

I set the quarters on the counter, tracing my finger around one of them. Out of my peripheral, I saw a figure move past me behind the bar counter. I looked up and saw a young woman with long, caramel colored, wavy hair. She was dressed in a white tank top and low riding denim jeans, baring her midriff. Ignoring me completely, she opted to go to Masen, setting down a mug of beer in front of him.

Masen took out a wallet from his back pocket and removed a five dollar bill, then slid it across the counter to her. Instead of taking it, she leaned against the counter, saying something to him that I couldn't hear over the volume of the patrons' voices. I furrowed my brow, staring at her flirty smile. She was very pretty…something that I was sure the rest of the guys in here were aware of, since they were all gawking at her.

I looked away, feeling like I shouldn't watch. My eyebrows shot up when I saw a petite woman standing directly in front of me, behind the bar, assessing me closely as she dried a beer mug with a dishrag. She had black hair that came down to her shoulders and seemed to be in her mid-thirties.

"That's Carmen," she spoke, nudging her head to the other woman, who was now taking the five dollar bill Masen had set out.

The lady in front of me had a slight southern twang. She didn't sound like the people I'd interacted with so far…which wasn't very many…but it was easy to tell she wasn't exactly from around here.

"Miss Santa Clarita Valley," she scoffed quietly to me as this Carmen woman passed by both of us and stopped at the cash register. "She made sure to write that on her resume, too. Look at her, thinkin' she's all Erin Brokovich."

"Who?" I asked meekly.

Her eyes went back to me along with an arched eyebrow. She clicked the roof of her mouth with her tongue. "You know, with the cleavage on purpose kind of thing," she replied, as if I should know. "Lord knows, I'd fire her if she didn't bring in so many customers every weekend." She shook her head and then set down the rag and mug. "I haven't seen you 'round here before. Who are you?"

"Umm…," I replied nervously, uncertain of how to answer.

"You came in here with Masen, didn't you?" she asked curiously, but didn't wait for a reply as her eyes turned to saucers. "Oh my…are you…?" Her voice trailed, and she leaned across the counter to me. "Are you one of those call girls on the cheap? I see a few every now and again with some of them truckers here, and—"

"I'm not a call girl," I interrupted, incredibly offended.

She chuckled lightly and stood straight. "Sugar, I beg your pardon. It's just, you come in here, dressed in men's sweats, and looking like someone roughed you up good. I figured you're the real deal, ya know?"

My hands immediately went to my head, patting down my hair. I hadn't brushed it and had no idea what I looked like. Great…no wonder she thought I was a hooker.

"So, how do you know him?" she questioned, placing the mug under the counter.

"Uh…well…I don't exactly know," I replied honestly. Something about this woman made me feel comfortable enough to speak truthfully.

She merely laughed. "You don't know? Well, it ain't my place, anyway, so don't mind me. In such a small town, I stick my nose in everythin'. But it is pretty tellin' that you're sittin' a whole three stools away from him." She smiled briefly and then flittered off.

She'd said this was a small town. I wanted ask what small town this was, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Masen finishing off the last of his beer and standing up. Without so much as a glance in my direction, he walked across the room and through the exit door.

I sighed to myself, knowing that the reason he'd wanted me to place a call was so someone could come get me, but there was no one. Not one person in the world. Not that I was aware of, anyway. I supposed I was on my own now. I didn't seem to mind, though, because something inside told me I would be okay alone and that I was strong enough to figure this all out by myself.

So, I stood up from my stool and made my way to the exit. When I pushed open the door, the crisp night wafted over me. I could see my own breath, it was that cold.

"Only if you take me for a ride," a woman said somewhere to the side of me.

I looked in the direction and saw Masen leaning against the front of his truck, while that bartender, Carmen, stood in front of him, holding his truck's keys. Once the door clicked shut behind me, Masen's expressionless eyes found mine briefly, before looking back at Carmen and saying something in a hushed whisper.

I would've said goodbye to him, but I knew he didn't like me, and frankly, I didn't very much like him, so I ignored both of them and stepped out into the parking lot, heading to the dark road.

As I walked along the shoulder of the asphalt, my steps were illuminated by the moonlight above. I was clueless as to where I was headed. Maybe I'd hit the next town soon. This couldn't be the _only _town along the road. On the way, someone might recognize me, or I'd recognize something, anything, and get my memory back. I didn't know if any of that was possible, but all I had was the road ahead of me.

A bright, white light flooded around me, and I looked over my shoulder to see two, blinding headlights. I turned my head forward again, continuing to place one foot in front of the other. I could hear the sound of tires slow, and a familiar dark green truck appeared, driving to a crawl alongside of me.

Both the truck and I stopped moving. I looked through the window to see Masen staring right at me. I was staring right back. He suddenly leaned toward the passenger door and opened it.

He wanted me to get in? But I thought he wanted me to leave.

I looked down the road with a frown. I could've kept walking and come across a town. I would've been fine. However, I still chose to get into the truck.

He made a U-turn and went in the same direction we'd come from earlier. Where was he taking me now? My eyes drifted to him, unable to stop myself from stealing a glance. He kept his sight straight, ignoring me once again. He sure hadn't been ignoring Carmen.

Why was it that we kept coming back together, no matter what?

"No one's picking you up," he said. It was an assessment.

I chose not to reply, since he already knew the answer. We drove through the blackened forest in silence, the trees whipping past, and soon came back upon the familiar cabin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Take a wild guess who the nice southern lady is. **

**Now that Tucker has been officially introduced, I can show you a visual of him and Sadie.** **Pictures are on my profile. Also, a Washed Up forum was made by Salix caprea over at Twilighted. The link to it can be found on my profile. I'll most likely start posting teasers there.  
><strong>


	4. Not from 'Round Here

**A/N: **

**Like I said in the beginning, I'm not aiming for absolute realism. Love it or hate it, that's how I'm doing it. **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the sparkly skin to my emo vampire.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<br>*Not from 'Round Here***

The next morning, I woke up to find a sunken, empty spot on the sofa. The dogs weren't here, either, which had me wondering if this was part of a daily routine.

Last night, Masen had silently given me a pair of his pajamas, as well as a different set of sweats that consisted of dark gray sweatpants, a white undershirt, and a light gray fleece jacket. These fit better than my last pair, and I didn't have to roll down the waistband of the pants. Also, I noticed the last pair had sort of a musky scent to them; however, this didn't.

My stomach was begging me for food. I didn't feel comfortable eating anything while he was out…but that didn't mean I couldn't snoop around his kitchen a little. The cupboards had as little in them as possible—some plates, cups, bowls, a pot, and a pan. All of it was enough for one person to live off of. His refrigerator was another story; barely anything in it except milk, ketchup, mustard, and butter. The pantry had lots of canned foods. I sifted through them and pulled out one.

Vienna sausage.

Weird thing for a guy who lived in a secluded area to have in his pantry.

I swiftly placed it back on the shelf and shut the door when I heard some sort of commotion outside. Barking ensued and then the front door opened. Sadie bolted to me, as usual, her tail wagging. I smiled and bent down to stroke her fur.

Masen's quiet muttering caused me to look up at him. As he shut the door, I noticed he had a plastic grocery bag in his hand that said _Longs Drugs_. He took long strides to the table, tossed the bag on it, and then leaned against the back of the sofa, one of his ankles crossing over the other. His forest green eyes stared right into mine, catching me off guard. I didn't think he'd ever looked at me directly with me standing so near to him. His arms crossed over his chest, and my sight flitted down to them briefly, taking in how his toned muscles tightened with the movement.

"Where are you from?" he asked. Surprisingly, there was no usual hint of malice in his tone. It was just a straight up question.

I became nervous, because I knew my answer wouldn't please him. It wasn't like it pleased me, either. "I'm not sure," I answered truthfully.

After a moment of dead silence, he raised an eyebrow. "You don't know where you're from," he assessed. I could see the irritation starting to bubble to the surface, but he remained civil.

"No," I confirmed.

He shifted a little, uncrossing his ankles. "Did you fall into the river by accident?"

That could've been a possibility. I hadn't really thought of it. But I didn't know for sure, so I decided to be honest. "I don't know anything. I'm sorry. I just can't remember."

His crossed arms tightened even more, and his jaw clenched. He looked like he was trying really hard to control his temper. "What's your name?"

Now _I_ was the one getting irritated. How many different ways would I have to say the same thing for him to get it? "When I told you I don't remember anything, I meant it," I replied, much more cattily than I probably should have.

His nostrils flared. "You're telling me you don't know your own name?" he asked.

"That's exactly what I'm—" Before I could finish, he stood ram-rod straight and walked to the refrigerator. I watched in silence as he opened the door and stared inside. There was hardly anything in there, so what was he looking at? I didn't have much time to question his action, because he suddenly slammed the 'fridge door loudly and spun around to face me again, the same blazing anger as always finally making its appearance.

"You know, I could give two shits where you're from or what your name is," he berated. "I'm just trying to help you out, so stop lying to me."

I was furious, because he hadn't believed a single word I'd said! "Lying to you?" I asked incredulously. "Why would I lie to you? I told you, I don't remember _anything_. And for the record, you have a funny way of helping me. You save me, and then you throw me out. You save me again, and then you yell at me and treat me like the dirt on your shoes!"

His eyes narrowed. "Well, if you hadn't walked right into Crowley's house, I wouldn't have had to see you again."

I snorted, trying not to show how offended I was. "Gee, thanks. Nice to know I've got someone looking out for me," I responded cynically. "Why didn't you just leave me at the river instead of taking me in?"

"Are you out of your damn mind?" he asked, as if _I _was the crazy one here. "And let you die?"

"Might as well have!" I exclaimed._ Oh, what I wouldn't give to wring this guy's neck!_

His hands balled into fists at his sides, and his breaths through his nostrils were loud and forceful. Instead of a response, he stalked off, going into the bedroom. After a second, I heard the bathroom door slam shut.

I wasn't going to back down—not with all this boiling hot adrenaline pumping through me—so I stormed into the bedroom and stepped right up to the closed bathroom door.

"And another thing. That Crowley guy needs to be behind bars," I spat, my voice loud enough to carry through the door, but there was no response from him. My knuckles rapped on the wooden barrier between us. "Hey! Did you hear me?" Just as I pressed my ear to the door to hear what he was doing in there, it flew open.

"Already taken care of," Masen murmured as he passed by me to head out of the bedroom.

I followed directly behind him. "What do you mean?"

He went back to the kitchen and opened the pantry door, stopping cold. "Did you go through my pantry?" he queried.

I sighed dramatically at him changing the subject. "Yeah, so?"

He turned around and stalked right up to me, his murderous glare more vicious than I'd ever seen it before. For a moment, I was almost scared of him.

"Listen to me, _mouth_," he started, nearly spitting on me, "just because you've wormed your way into staying—"

"Wormed my way?" I shouted in blasphemy, cutting him off.

"It doesn't mean you can go through my shit and move things around!" he finished.

I huffed. "Oh, so I'm supposed to stand here, say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing?"

Our bodies were so close to each other. I could feel the hum of our anger vibrating around us. He was trying to control me, but I wasn't as submissive as he'd like. This bugged him. It thrilled me.

"You sleep in the bedroom. You eat at the table. Use the bathroom. That's it," he commanded. "Don't touch _anything _else. Clear?"

"_Crystal_," I replied sardonically.

"And don't think I don't see you feeding my dog under the table," he growled.

In one retrospect, I felt like a five year old caught with their hand in the cookie jar, but in another, I didn't give a damn. "Well, if you gave her some attention, then I wouldn't have to sneak around."

If possible, he stepped even closer to me. My neck was aching from having to look directly up at him. "You telling me how to treat my dog?" he asked threateningly. He was trying to scare me.

My heart was pumping so unbelievably fast. I needed to calm down. This was getting out of hand. So, I took a deep breath. "Sadie is such a sweet, little thing," I spoke in earnest, hoping he'd see truth to my words and change his behavior toward her.

In a swift movement, he grabbed the _Longs Drugs_ bag and shoved it into my arms. "If you're staying, talk less," he said through gritted teeth.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you call me?"

I glowered at him. "I said you're an asshole!" I yelled, making sure he heard it this time, and quickly disappeared into the bedroom, slamming the door for effect.

Rage was fueling through me as I gripped the plastic bag, easily tearing a big hole in it. The items inside tumbled out, clattering to the ground—a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.

I was calming down now, able to think clearly instead of being blinded by hatred. Maybe in Masen's own way, he was actually trying to help me. I just wished more than anything that he didn't have to be so disgruntled all the time. I didn't want to leave, because I had nowhere to go, but staying would involve dealing with his lack of civility. Could I do that? He infuriated me almost every minute, but times like this showed he wasn't completely heartless.

With a sigh, I opened the bedroom door and walked out to call a truce; however, he wasn't here anymore. On the table, there was a yellow and white striped towel with a price tag still attached. It looked like something you'd take to the beach. I picked it up and brought it to my face. _Soft_. I took it with me back into the bedroom and decided to take a shower.

I'd thank him later.

X-X-X-X

I was sitting on the couch, my back against the armrest, and my legs extended across the cushions with Sadie between my knees. Her beady little eyes were closing as I scratched behind her floppy ears.

Masen had been gone a while—maybe four or five hours. There didn't seem to be any clocks around, so I couldn't be sure. Where did he go? His truck was still here, so that meant he'd walked somewhere.

I got up and spent the remainder of the afternoon inspecting the ripped up clothes that were supposedly mine. They were definitely ruined, but with a little patching up here and there, they could be wearable again. The issue was I had no idea how to sew. Well, maybe I did know how to, but I just couldn't remember. Either way, I presently had no knowledge on how to fix the tears and rips in my clothes. Defeated, I stored them in the closet.

My eyes flitted up to the top shelf where a shoebox rested. Naturally, I was curious what was in there. I knew that if I tried to reach for it, my arms would be too short. Various methods started running through my head of how to attain it.

Suddenly, I heard the front door open. I exited the bedroom, seeing Masen standing in front of the unlit fireplace. Our gazes locked, but neither one of us said anything. He had the eyes of someone that experienced life, and I wondered how old he was. He definitely had to be in his thirties. Mid-thirties? Late thirties?

How old was I? For the life of me, I had no idea. I couldn't even guesstimate. I felt like someone in their thirties, but whenever I would see my reflection, I looked relatively young. Perhaps in my twenties.

The connection was broken between us when Masen looked at Tucker, who had plopped himself down by his feet. I decided to take advantage of this momentary reprieve.

"Thank you," I spoke, causing him to look back at me. I didn't like not knowing what he was thinking. "You know, for buying those things earlier."

He nodded once curtly. After a moment, he moved to the front door, pulling it open. "Let's go," he demanded, with a glance over his shoulder.

Why couldn't he ever tell me beforehand where we were going?

In the truck, I could tell he had something to say. It was in the way he held himself, which I'd become _very_ aware of. When he didn't feel the need to speak to me, his stance was casual, more relaxed. When he appeared to have the desire to talk, his overall body language became tense, rigid.

It was clear he didn't enjoy speaking to me. For some reason, I didn't take offense to that. Perhaps it was because as much as he preferred me silent, I felt the exact same way about him. He had the personality of an ogre.

"Listen good, because I'm only gonna say this once," he spoke finally as we drove down the truck made path through the forest. "On Fridays, I go into town to—"

"Where's town?" I asked hastily, cutting him off. It was an opportunity to figure out more or less where I was.

"Would you let me finish?" he snapped, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

I clamped my mouth shut in response.

He let out a sigh, and his hands relaxed. "We're leaving Redwood and heading to Redwood City," he responded begrudgingly.

Redwood and Redwood City…

Did those names ring any bells? They didn't seem to. What state were they in? Virgina? Connecticut? Maybe somewhere in the Midwest?

"I go into town to get supplies, food, whatever I need for the week," he continued. "On Friday evenings, I go to the tavern."

"And where are we going right now?" I questioned curiously.

"The tavern."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "We were there just last night. Wouldn't that make today Saturday?"

"I need a drink," he muttered tersely under his breath. I didn't think I was meant to hear that, but I did. "Next Friday, you can come into town with me and get whatever you need."

"Um, okay," I agreed, a little more than surprised at his kindness. "But why not tomorrow?"

"I already told you, I go on Fridays." He cast me a brief sideways glance before focusing on the road again. "You know, you ask a lot of damn questions."

I pursed my lips, watching him intently. He seemed aggravated. What was new? "I'm just trying to figure you out," I admitted.

"There's nothing to figure out. I go out on Fridays. The end."

I noticed us turning into the tavern, which put an end to our conversation, if I could call it that. He didn't even wait for me as I got out. By the time I locked and closed the passenger door, the entrance door to the tavern slammed shut.

There weren't as many men as last night, but then again, it was still kind of early. Masen was already seated at his usual stool. Just like the previous time I was here, I sat a few stools away from him.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," a feminine voice said behind me.

I looked over my shoulder, seeing that friendly woman I'd talked to yesterday.

She had an empty tray balancing on the palm of her hand and set it down on the counter, then took a seat on the stool next to me. "I knew you'd be back. I just didn't think it'd be so soon," she said, and glanced down the bar, pursing her lips thoughtfully. She looked back at me and grinned. "I don't believe I ever introduced myself. I'm Alice. I run this joint. Well, me and my husband."

I smiled back at her. I liked the name Alice. I was almost jealous that wasn't my name…that I knew of. "I'm…" I began to say, but trailed off sadly. I didn't have a name to introduce myself with.

"Let me guess," she started, a twinkle in her eye, "you don't know." She laughed lightly at herself, shaking her head in amusement. "Can I get you anythin', sugar?"

I frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't have any money."

She clicked the roof of her mouth with her tongue and shot a glare down the bar at Masen, who wasn't even paying attention to us as he took a bill note out of his wallet. "Don't worry," she whispered to me. "It'll be on the house. Just don't tell the ol' ball and chain." She smiled mischievously and grabbed her tray as she stood.

"Thank you," I said in earnest. "You're too kind."

Alice waved me off and left me, appearing behind the counter a moment later. She busied herself, while I glanced around. Carmen was here, making the rounds as she brought customers drinks. I watched the moment she spotted Masen, how the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. She made her way behind the counter and stood in front of him, speaking something I couldn't hear, due to the loud male voices.

She seemed awfully chummy with him. I couldn't really tell if he was the same with her, because he was like a closed book. With his _wonderful _personality, I didn't think anyone could be attracted to him. Apparently, that wasn't the case, because Miss Breasts Spilling out of Her Top was really laying it on thick with him.

Good Lord. I already sounded like Alice and I hardly knew her!

Speaking of…Alice came back to me with some sort of dark drink. She said it was just a Rum and Coke. Tasted good—fizzy with a punch.

My eyes wandered back to Masen and Carmen. She handed him a mug of beer and took the money, but she didn't leave. She lingered to talk.

"Wonderin' about them two, aren't ya?" Alice asked.

"Oh, uh, no," I fumbled, embarrassed that I'd been caught staring at them.

"It's okay. You can be honest with me," she assured, and I felt like I really could. "I don't know much 'bout him, but I know a lot 'bout her. Twenty-six years old. She's been 'round a time or two, let me tell ya." Alice leaned over the counter a little toward me. "I heard through the grapevine, she had an affair with a married man. Got him to divorce his wife and everythin'."

My eyes shot to Masen, who was now very much alone as he drank his beer. I didn't know what to think about this. Was it true?

"You're curious if it's Masen and her," she said, reading my thoughts. "Like I said, I don't know much 'bout him."

"What do you know, then?" I asked.

"He's not from 'round here. Came 'bout four years ago and stayed ever since," she revealed. "Every Friday, without fail, he's in here. Never speaks to a soul…well, except Carmen. My husband has talked to him a few times, as well, but she's the only one who knows how he likes his beer." She huffed. "Lord knows, I tried, but that man is finicky. Only likes a thin layer of beer head or whatever—the hell if I know. My husband might know, too, but he's always in the back."

So, he was from somewhere else originally, came here, and pretty much only spoke to Carmen. What Alice said about her having an affair with a married man seemed to fit—Edward being the married man…or once married man.

Maybe I shouldn't believe something like that unless I knew for sure.

"How is it that you come in here with Masen, but you don't know nothin' 'bout him?" Alice inquired curiously.

"I'm just staying with him," I answered truthfully, and she quirked an eyebrow. "To be honest, you know more about him than me."

"That's just strange," she remarked.

I shrugged, not really knowing what to else to say.

"And he makes you wear these awful men's clothes that do nothin' for ya?" she queried.

I looked down at myself. These sweats were comfortable, but they definitely weren't something I'd pick for myself. "My other clothes are ruined," I admitted.

Alice cocked her head to the side and then shook her head. "Up," she demanded.

"What?" I asked.

"Come with me. I'm gonna fix this right now."

I looked at Masen hesitantly, wondering if I should tell him I was leaving.

"Don't worry, hun. He'll still be here when you get back," Alice assured.

I didn't know where she was taking me, but I followed her through a door behind the counter, which led to a small kitchen. Alice steered me to a door at the other end of the kitchen. She knocked twice on it, turned the knob, and pushed the door open without waiting for an answer.

"Puddin', you got the house keys?" she asked into the room.

I stepped next to Alice, and my eyes raked over a small office with a desk and a very old looking computer on it. There was a black door next to it, making me wonder where it led to. Sitting at the desk was a wavy haired blond man that looked to be in his late thirties. He stood, showing how tall and stalky he was. In comparison to Alice, he was a giant, but in comparison to me, he seemed about average height for a male.

As he grabbed a set of keys off the desk, his guarded eyes roamed over me. "Who might this be?" he asked Alice, but remained looking at me. He had a heavier southern accent than she had.

"Oh, don't ask that," Alice whispered to him, and winked at me with a secret smile.

He broke his observation on me and regarded her. "Ya hear Crazy Crowley's been taken in?"

"God almighty! It's 'bout time!" she exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

A crease formed on my brow at the mention of that loon. "Taken in?" I questioned. How did these people know about him? Did they know what he almost did to me?

"Arrested," the man answered. "Not sure why, but I'm hearin' there was an anonymous tip."

"I'm glad he's gone," Alice remarked. "He was a black cloud hangin' over this town. No one knows for sure if he's ever done anythin'. Oh, but there's stories, alright."

I remembered Masen had said something about it already having been taken care of. That must've meant he knew about the arrest.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sugar. Where are my manners? This is my husband, Jasper," Alice introduced. "We've been married fourteen years. Lord, that makes me sound ancient. I was twenty-one at the time."

"And ya still are to me," Jasper crooned to her, a slight smirk twisting his lips.

Alice let out a very unattractive snort. "What do ya want?" she prompted.

His smirk grew. "A beer would be nice."

"Later. I've got some things to do," she replied, and hooked her arm around mine. "C'mon, missy." She led me away from the office and through another door that opened to a modestly sized living room with '70s styled furniture. "Never trust that man when he starts complimentin' ya. Always got somethin' up his sleeve."

There was a plate of a half eaten steak and an empty bottle of beer on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Alice picked them up and disappeared through a door, while I stayed rooted to my spot, listening to the muffled sounds of the voices from the bar.

"So, you gonna tell me why you don't know your name?" Alice called out.

"I can't really remember anything until a couple days ago," I answered. My eyes caught sight of a picture frame on the side table next to the couch. I moved to it and observed the photo of what looked like a teenage Jasper and Alice sharing cotton candy at a carnival. They seemed so obliviously happy, causing a pang in my chest. What was that? Envy?

She came out, closing the door behind her. "Like amnesia?" she questioned.

Amnesia. So, that was what I had?

Great.

"I guess so," I replied with a frown.

She sat down on the arm of the sofa, looking intently at me. "And you got this for no reason?"

"Well, no, I…uh…" Would she believe me if I told her? "I washed up from the river."

"Ya did?" she asked incredulously, and I swallowed thickly, scared she'd think I was insane. "What river?"

Did she actually believe me? Not even Masen believed me when I told him the truth. Alice looked almost intrigued.

"Some nearby river," I answered lamely. "I actually haven't seen it."

"It's probably the Wye River," she informed. "Some parts of it are really rough—lots of big drops, jagged rocks, that sorta thing. River raftin' is super popular 'round here."

My hand instinctively went to my head, rubbing a spot that had hurt for a while and thankfully didn't anymore. "I think my head must've hit one of those rocks."

"Let me see," she offered, and motioned me to sit on the couch. She carefully sifted through my hair, her fingers pressing against my scalp gently. A sharp but brief pain emitted from a spot she touched, causing me to wince. "Yeah, you got a big ol' bump here." She combed her fingers through my hair and then moved it all to sit on one shoulder. "You should get that checked out."

I shook my head. "No, it's okay," I responded.

She didn't reply straight away. "Well, alright, then," she acquiesced, and stood. "Come on."

I followed right behind her as we walked down a short hall with a door at the end. She pushed it open and flicked on a light as she entered, revealing a bedroom.

"It's a shame you don't know your own name, but when you do, let me know" she requested, sliding open a closet door. There were lots of outfits in there that she was looking at intently. "I've got some clothes here I don't think I can pull off anymore." She took three summer dresses off hangers and handed them to me. "I'd give you some of my old jeans, but I was real small back then."

"Really, you don't have to do this," I said, a little more than overwhelmed at her kindness.

"I insist," she replied, and looked down at my feet. "What on earth are those dirty ol' things you're wearing? Goodness gracious!" She turned back to her closet and started pulling out various shoes. "What size are you?" Before I could reply, she laughed. "I know what you're gonna say—you don't know." She dropped a pair of white ballet flats in front of my feet. "Try these on."

I sat on the bed and took off my shoes and socks, doing as she said. The flats were a little snug, but they actually allowed my feet to breathe, as opposed to my sneakers paired with Masen's thick socks.

"Perfect," Alice complimented. "I've got another pair in here, if you ever need 'em."

"Honestly, Alice, this is too much—" I began to say, before she cut me off.

"Oh, hush, sweet pea. I'll never wear 'em again, and by the looks of things, you need 'em. I'll just grab a bag for you."

When we went back out to the bar, Masen was gone. I inwardly started to panic. Had he left me here? Did he think_ I_ left _him_? I bid Alice goodbye, thanking her for her generosity, and then quickly made my way out of the exit.

As soon as I saw the dark green truck parked out front, I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't like that feeling of being abandoned. It didn't sit well with me and continued to leave an impression as I got in the truck where Masen was already waiting, looking rather impatient. He eyed my bag only briefly before he reversed out of the spot and turned onto the road.

X-X-X-X

A distant gunshot sounded, jolting me awake. I was breathing heavily. My hand came up to my forehead, touching the sweat gathered there. As fast as I could, I got out of bed and burst into the living room.

No one was here.

Shotgun was gone, too.

Masen.

I exhaled in relief and shook my head, almost laughing at my irrational jumpiness.

Another gunshot cracked outside, this time closer. My breath hitched sharply, taken aback, and my hand clutched my heart. Oh, I really did wish he'd stop shooting that thing. It was scaring me half to death!

Looking out the window, I saw it was barely light outside, and there was a thick layer of morning fog surrounding the cabin. It was kind of nice…peaceful. Well, since I was awake, maybe I'd take a walk outside.

After a quick shower, I looked at the three dresses Alice had given me that were now hanging up in the closet. One was white with multi-colored floral print on it, another had white and light blue pansy print with lace for straps, and the last was a navy blue button-down with white polka dots and thin straps that tied at the shoulders. I went with the pansy print dress, liking how feminine it looked.

There was one thing bugging me as I put it on. It came up to just above my knees, which meant my legs would be showing. My legs were hairless. I didn't have a razor, and by the looks of things, I didn't need one, because I wasn't growing any hair. It was odd. Though, to be honest, I didn't mind.

The dress was kind of tight, but I was glad it fit, because I didn't like wearing Masen's sweats, even with as comfortable as they were.

Once I slipped on my new flats, I left the house through the front door. Almost as soon as I stepped off the porch, another gunfire shot through the air a distance away. Through the fog, I couldn't make Masen out, so I began walking toward where I heard the gunshot.

The ground was moist and the air was cold, causing goose bumps on my arms. There were so many daises littering the ground the further away I got from the cabin. I bent down and picked one with all its petals intact. It was wet from the fog, but still beautiful. A petal easily gave way as I plucked it and let it flutter to the ground.

Another gunfire.

It rang through my ears, making me cringe.

The fog started to thin, and that was when I saw him. He was standing in a small clearing, aiming his shotgun to the sky. His face was that of someone concentrating with everything they had. It didn't even look like he was breathing. His dark hair was a bit of a mess, most likely from sleep, which made me wonder what time he got up.

Instead of taking a shot, he brought the gun down and positioned the sling around his shoulder. He stuck his thumb and index finger in his mouth. A loud whistle echoed through the forest. Two separate barks suddenly filled the air—Sadie and Tucker's—but the fog was still too thick to see anyone other than Masen.

He began walking in my direction, causing my body to freeze. Suddenly, Sadie appeared, running full pelt at me, her long ears flopping. She jumped at my legs and bounced off excitedly, wagging her little tail. When I looked back up at Masen, he was watching me. Tucker was right at his side, never moving an inch further than him.

I felt a little self-conscious under his expressionless stare, considering I was wearing something different, so I fiddled with the daisy in my hand, plucking petals.

He looked away and walked right by me without as much as a word. I turned and watched his back as he headed to the cabin.

"Sadie!" he called in that commanding tone I didn't like.

Sadie quickly left my side and caught up with him just as he stepped onto the porch and pushed open the door. I looked down at the daisy and realized I'd plucked almost half of the petals off.

I wasn't sure if I was hearing things, but I swore there was a faraway sound of gushing water. Was it the river? The place where I'd been found? I couldn't deny that I was curious about it. I wanted to see it. Maybe it could help me remember some things.

I took blind steps toward the sound, the fog only showing a few feet in front of me at a time. With every step closer, the river's roar grew louder, and my heart pumped faster. My breathing was picking up, and my eyes were growing wider.

I didn't like this feeling coursing through me. It was fear.

My feet suddenly felt like sludge. A small whimper escaped me and tears sprung to my eyes. I stopped moving, not sure what was happening to me.

I took one slow step back.

Then another.

Another.

My body was returning back to normal now. I could breathe easier. Before I knew what was happening, I was running back to the cabin as fast as I could. Relief washed over me when I reached the front porch. I was safe.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Just for fun, can anyone take a guess what state this story is set? There's been a few clues in this and the past chapters.  
><strong>

**Polyvore on the profile, if anyone's interested in a visual of our two leads.**


	5. The Biggest Asshole in the World

**A/N: **

**Many of you got th****e state right! You Googling cheaters. ;-)**

**B****eta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the silly rabbit to my bowl of Trix.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<br>*The Biggest Asshole in the World***

I sat at the table, trying to calm myself over the reaction I had just a moment ago before I came back inside the cabin. Masen was working on lighting a fire, not paying attention to me. I hadn't told him how frazzled I was. I didn't think he'd care, anyway.

I felt sick to my stomach. Why had attempting to go to the river caused me to react so badly? I had _wanted_ to see the river, but as soon as I'd taken the steps toward it, my body worked against me and my mind panicked.

The daisy I had picked earlier was still in my hand. I clutched onto it tightly, almost snapping it in half. My grip loosened instantly. As I plucked the remaining petals, my eyes veered to Masen bent over at the fireplace.

It bothered me that he thought I was lying about not remembering.

It bothered me that Alice believed me in a heartbeat over the man that had saved me from a fate I didn't want to think about.

It bothered me that he was repulsed by the very sight of me.

"You still don't believe that I can't remember anything, don't you?" I found myself asking him, though I already knew the answer.

He didn't reply as he continued stoking the fireplace with a long, iron poker.

I sighed and set the daisy on table absentmindedly. Talking to him was like talking to a brick wall, so I got up and went to the bedroom to take a nap, since there was nothing else to do. But just as I was about to lie down over the covers, a loud groan stopped me.

"AH! NO, NO, NO!" I heard Masen shout from the living room. "Come back out here _right now!_"

My eyes went wide, wondering what he wanted from me. I was still sitting on the bed when he stomped into the bedroom like thunder rolling through clouds.

"You. I'm talking to you," he snapped, and disappeared back outside the door.

Suppressing a tired moan, I followed after him. He stood at the table, glowering down at it. When I closed the door behind me, his eyes shot up to mine.

"See this?" he queried, pointing at the daisy petals that littered the table. "I don't want this crap on my table. Do you understand?" He swept the petals into his palm and approached me. "Take this pile of shit and throw it outside." He shoved them into my hands, not bothering to be careful as some fluttered to the floorboards.

My temper flared on the spot. They were just flower petals for goodness sake! I would've cleaned them up later, anyway. But of course, everything was his way or the highway.

Incensed, I stalked to the door, yanked it open, and threw the petals into the air. They didn't go very far, falling delicately to the ground right in front of the doorway.

"There. They're outside," I notified haughtily, and turned to him. "Satisfied?"

He walked out the back door abruptly. There was a lot of racket outside before he came back into the house with a long broom. His steps stopped right in front of me, and he held out the broom for me to take.

"Sweep them off the porch," he demanded.

I folded my arms in defiance. "I'm not your maid," I shot back. I wasn't sure how I always managed to stand up to him. If anyone else was in my place, they'd surely be intimidated by this angry, closed off recluse.

He let out a very loud, almost animalistic growl and dropped the broom to the floor.

I narrowed my eyes. "You don't scare me," I stated boldly. He could huff and puff all he wanted. None of it fazed me.

"I could give two rats' ass," he replied in a menacing tone.

Neither of us could break eye contact. It was like a battle for dominance. A battle that I didn't think I could win, but I sure as hell wouldn't let that stop me from going down swinging.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I invading your space, touching your precious things, leaving harmless flower petals on your table?" I asked sarcastically. "You know, if you think I'm lying about not remembering anything, then why do you let me stay here?"

Instead of a response, he merely clenched his jaw.

"Answer me," I commanded.

"You're here, because, if you haven't noticed, you're a walking magnet for danger," he replied.

I scoffed. "I can take care of myself."

He snorted, actually looking amused for once. It was short-lived, though.

I remembered something. Proof. "I have a bump on my head where I hit it," I said, and parted my hair over the tender spot on my crown. I angled my head to him so he could look. "Do you see? There's a bump there. I think it's the reason why I don't know my name, age, or anything about myself."

When I looked up at him, his brow was furrowed, and his eyes were slanted in suspicion. He didn't believe me at all, and he probably never would.

"You think I'm just staying here for kicks?" I questioned petulantly. "You think I'd willingly stay here with_ you—_the biggest asshole in the world? If I remembered anything about my life, I'd make sure I was as far away from you as I could possibly get. If you don't believe the bump on my head, believe _that_." I quickly spun around and rushed into the bedroom, needing to get away from him. It was hard enough to have amnesia, but to have someone doubt you about it was even worse.

I dropped onto the bed, my thoughts screaming how much I hated that man. Maybe I should just leave and pray I didn't get into anymore trouble. We butted heads too much, and it wasn't healthy. He didn't like me, and I certainly didn't like him, so it would probably be for the best. However, for now, I'd sleep and make a decision once I had enough strength.

X-X-X-X

A knock on the door woke me up sometime later. I rubbed my groggy eyes and yawned. It was dark out, most likely just after dusk.

Another knock sounded, followed by footsteps walking away. Masen. What did he want now?

When I pulled open the door, my sight immediately went to where he was—sitting at the kitchen table with two plates of food. As per usual, Sadie and Tucker were seated right by his chair.

I didn't utter a word as I took a seat in the chair that had become mine. For some reason, Masen seemed to be waiting for me to start eating, so I tucked into a bowl of beef stew, which I assumed was from one of those cans in his pantry. I guess a guy could live his entire life on canned food if he really wanted to.

"How far back can you remember?" he asked, his voice cutting through the thick silence.

I slowly looked up at him, taken aback. Did he…did he actually believe me? Instead of questioning this sudden change, I decided to go with it. "I can remember clearly as far back as the first morning I woke up here, but I can only recall bits and pieces of when I actually washed up."

He looked down at his stew. "Like what?"

"Like being wet and cold," I answered.

After eating silently for a few seconds, he set his spoon down and regarded me. "Anything else?"

I racked my brain. "There was something odd on my face."

A wrinkle formed on his brow, and he picked up his spoon and started eating again. "That was Sadie. She found you before I did." He let out a sigh. "Look, I don't want anything to change, alright? I just wanna go about my life, as always. Just because you can't remember things, doesn't mean I'm gonna change my routine for you."

I cocked my head to side, getting a good look at him. Basically, he was saying he wanted to live a quiet life, and I was interrupting that. "I never asked you to."

He raised an eyebrow. "And tone down that lip."

"What?" I inquired, confused.

"You're argumentative."

"_I'm_ argumentative?" I questioned, outraged. "You're the one—!"

"See?" he interrupted casually, and dug into his stew again.

I groaned out of frustration. I couldn't believe he thought I was picking fights when he was the one giving me the ammunition. "You don't even see how you are, do you?"

He finished the last of his stew and dropped the spoon into the bowl with a loud clatter. His hard eyes found mine. "You're in my house, so what I say goes; otherwise, feel free to walk. It's as simple as that." He stood and went to the sink. After he washed his bowl, he disappeared into the bedroom.

And there it was—the _you're a guest in this house_ card. I didn't like it.

As I finished washing the dishes and setting them in their appropriate spots, Masen came back out, dressed in his pajamas and holding his usual pillow. He set it on the couch then stoked the fire to keep it alive.

Even though his temper made me want to scream, he was providing me with food and a place to sleep, which was more than generous, to be honest. Maybe we could learn to live with each other, for however long that meant.

With a deep breath, I walked to the broom still lying on the ground and picked it up. As I pulled open the front door and began sweeping the flower petals off the porch, I could feel his eyes on me, causing a slight shiver up my spine.

Once I was done, I went back in. Our gazes locked, a stark difference from the angry, domineering standoff we usually would have. This was a mere acknowledgement of my acquiescence.

He broke the connection first, setting the stoker back in place and positioning the pillow right against the arm of the couch.

I'd try my best not to react to him in a negative way, but I wasn't going to be the only one bending around here. After all, it takes two to tango.

X-X-X-X

Four days passed, making it Thursday. We managed to stay out of each other's way, considering he was gone a lot. He'd leave sometime before I woke up, and I generally wouldn't see him, the dogs, or his shotgun until around the late afternoon.

As soon as I'd awoken, I'd try as hard as I could to remember something about my life, but nothing would come. It made me wonder more and more what my life was like and who was in it, but something kept telling me I'd remember again, so I just needed to wait it out.

I'd spent a lot of time outside, since there was nothing to do inside. The weather was growing warmer, so my dresses were really coming in handy. It was so peaceful and nice here, and I could definitely see the appeal of living somewhere like this.

Yesterday, the gunshots sounded, making it the second time this week that Masen hunted. I watched him in secret, shooting at geese. He was so concentrated on the task, and it almost seemed like it relaxed him. The entire act made me cringe, knowing these birds were dying, but I realized it was a sport to many people, him included. I just wondered what he did with the poor birds after they were shot.

Many questions about him began to come to mind—where he was from, why he was here, if he worked. I knew I couldn't ask him any of my questions, though. He was about as responsive as a tree stump.

Today was one of those rainy days that seemed to happen regularly here. The weather didn't stop Masen from going out, and that meant I was here alone, sitting by the fire, which he'd been decent enough to light. I'd stayed here long enough now to know how to keep the fire going.

I knew Masen had said not to touch his things, but watching the bright orange flames for hours wasn't exactly exciting, in my opinion. That was how I found myself snooping around his bedroom. The shoebox in the closet was still calling to me, so I retrieved a chair from the kitchen and used it to reach the box. When I opened it, I was surprised at what I saw.

Money. Lots of it.

It was all bundled together in a silver money clip. There was so much here. Hundreds of dollars, maybe more, just sitting in a shoebox. Why did he have this much money hidden, and where did he get it from?

I feared Masen would come back and catch me, and something like that would happen, because my luck seemed to be non-existent, so I pushed the box back in its place and returned the chair to the living room.

Back in the bedroom, I'd always noticed the nightstand before I slept, but never tried to open the drawer. So, as I opened it in curiosity, my brow furrowed. All that was in there was a digital watch and a book about the Vietnam War.

I picked the book up and read the summary on the back. It wasn't my cup of tea—though I didn't exactly know what my cup of tea was—but it was something to pass the time with. However, I couldn't just take it and start reading, especially with the ground rules Masen had set up, so I'd have to think of a way to get him to give it to me.

When I went to put it in the drawer again, something caught my eye at the very back—a golden band. I blinked several times.

It was a _wedding_ band. _His_ wedding band.

Then it was true? Masen had been married once and had an affair…with Carmen?

My legs gave out, and I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at it. I hadn't wanted to believe Alice when she told me that, but now, it was hard not to. I'd admit that Masen had his negative points, but I never thought he'd ever do something like _that_. It made me angry, and I felt hurt…as if I'd been the one betrayed.

I could hear Sadie barking outside, which meant Masen was back, so I quickly shut the drawer, telling myself his affair was none of my business, and went into the living room.

Just like every day, Sadie ran straight for me so I could pet her, Masen hung up his shotgun, and Tucker growled viciously at me. I was starting to think that dog hated me.

"Do you have anything I can read?" I asked bluntly.

"Nope," he answered, and walked by me to the kitchen.

_Nope?_ Well, what a little liar.

"You don't maybe have a book or something?" I prodded. _There's a book right in the nightstand drawer. Just give it to me._

He pulled open the pantry door. "Nope."

Unbelievable.

Not wanting to scream at him, I exited the cabin through the front door. My feet carried me several feet before I stopped and let out an angry puff of air. I ripped up a daisy from the ground, needing to expel my frustration.

_Is Masen a filthy liar? _

I pulled the petals, until the last one remained.

_No. _

The daisy told me no.

With a groan, I threw the remains of the flower to the ground, uprooted another, and made my way back to the cabin. When I entered the house again, I froze. Masen lay on the couch…reading a book.

The same book from the drawer.

The nerve of him! He told me he didn't have anything to read and now was reading a book right in front of me!

"You said you didn't have anything to read," I said, trying my damndest to keep my voice sounding calm.

He flipped a page.

I squared my eyes, beyond annoyed with him, and took a seat at the table. Violent acts were taken out on the daisy as I pulled the petals and snapped the stem in half.

"What did I say about that stuff in here?" he asked threateningly.

I didn't look at him, nor did I reply. God only knew what I'd say if I opened my mouth.

I heard him shift on the couch. "Did you hear me?" he questioned, his voice raised.

"No," I replied, finally glowering into his seething green eyes. "See, I can't hear you over the flipping of pages."

He went back to reading. "There goes that mouth of yours again," he murmured.

I slammed a fist down on the table. "All I asked you for was something to read. You said you didn't have a book, and now you're reading the book you said you didn't have."

He flipped another page. "So?" he asked casually.

I let out a frustrated sigh and looked down at the mess I made. A smirk began to cross my lips as I thought of a way to mess with him. I ripped the flower petals in halves, then quarters, and spread them over the expanse of the small table, knowing it would aggravate him. And it definitely was, 'cause I could feel his eyes observing me.

"Take that stuff outside," he demanded through clenched teeth.

My smirk grew, giving my motives away, but I didn't care. I wanted to anger him even more and knew just how. "I've been thinking," I began. "It's pretty awkward you can't call me by my name, since I can't remember it. I figured I'd make one up. From now on, you can call me Petal."

His eyebrows slowly pinched together. "I'm not calling you that," he shot back.

I shrugged. "Well, sorry, but that's my name."

"If you don't take that shit outside…," he warned.

"I don't obey orders of those that don't use my name—which is Petal."

He hated it. His reaction was just what I wanted. Maybe now he'd see how frustrating he was.

"If you just say, 'Petal, throw the flower petals outside,' I might do it," I informed, a hint of mirth in my tone.

He brought his book back up to his face angrily, choosing to disregard anything I'd said. It sort of upset me that he didn't want to call me Petal, because it sure beat him calling me _mouth_ or _you_, but at least now I knew how to press his buttons, since he certainly knew how to press mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**I deem you Petal of Redwood. Better get used to the name. No Bella around here. Short update, I know, but I like shorter chapters these days. Regardless, there's some important info in this chapter that you can ponder.**

**I made a map of Redwood—the portion where Masen lives—to showcase some key locations. FYI, the small town of Redwood is fictional, as is the Wye River. However, Redwood City is real. The map is on my profile. Don't make fun of my map making skills. **


	6. I Live with Him

**A/N: **

**NOTE: I've only been to Redwood City once when I was a girl, so if you're from there and the description in this chapter isn't quite accurate, no offense is meant.**

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Morpheus to my Neo.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<br>*I Live with Him***

I glanced over at him. He was concentrated on the road. We were headed to Redwood City so I could pick up items I needed, and he could…do whatever it was he did there.

"What state are we in?" I questioned out of the blue, filling the silence.

"California," he answered.

California…wow. Definitely hadn't expected that.

Along the highway, a green sign passed, merely saying _Redwood City,_ followed by the decently sized population of 74,974. I furrowed my brow, suddenly getting a strong case of déjà vu. But as quickly as it came, it left.

"So, you come here every Friday?" I inquired, observing how busy and overpopulated this town was. Cars were everywhere. Businesses were everywhere. It was a stark difference from the little town of Redwood, which made me wonder why Masen chose to live there instead of someplace more established like here.

"Yep," he replied stoically.

"For how long?"

"For however long it takes," he responded vaguely, causing me to roll my eyes.

After several minutes of stoplights and heavy traffic, we pulled into a large parking lot that was surrounded by various establishments, including a Starbucks, Target, and Marshalls. He stopped the truck along the curb outside of Target and momentarily glanced at Starbucks before clearing his throat and looking at the entrance doors of Target.

"You can get your stuff in there, unless you'd rather go to Marshalls," he offered.

"Uh, no, Target is good," I said, playing nervously with the hem of my dress. This would be my first time in the company of strangers outside of Redwood.

"I'll meet you inside in twenty."

I began to panic. He was leaving me here? "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Food bank."

A crease formed on my brow. Had I just heard him correctly? "Why are you going there?"

"Got some stuff in the back."

I looked behind me through the rear windshield. I'd noticed the tarp covering the truck's bed before we left earlier, and I'd definitely noticed there was stuff underneath, but he always had various things in the truck, so I hadn't bothered to question what it was.

"You're donating?" I queried, in awe yet skeptical of this selfless action by a man who seemed far from selfless.

"Are you going inside or not?" he asked, clearly annoyed with me.

In other words, _get out of my truck_. So, I did. I'd barely gotten the door shut when he drove off. Very cautiously, I went into Target. There were video cameras and TV monitors up above, and I could see myself, causing a frown to form.

_Is that really_ _what I look like on camera_?

After grabbing a cart, I pushed it stiffly through the aisles, maneuvering around strangers. I'd gotten somewhat comfortable around Masen, but being around all these other people was nerve-wracking. I didn't know them. What if they did something to me? It'd only been two minutes, and I already wished Masen was here.

Once I started seeing things I wanted, I began to calm, actually semi-enjoying myself. Almost everything I saw, I wanted to buy, but I didn't exactly know what my budget was. I also wasn't sure if Masen was footing the bill. He had to know I didn't have any money, right?

My cart filled up with shampoo, conditioner, a hairbrush, some bestselling fiction novel, and cotton underwear. I was currently in the bra section, debating what my bra size was and if I even needed one. I mean, I'd seemed to be doing fine braless. And it wasn't like I was huge.

Masen suddenly walked by the bra rack, oblivious to me being here. Almost instantly, he backed up and stopped, looking at me with a slightly horrified expression. But that soon turned to a stony one as he approached me and my cart.

"Everything okay?" I asked, worried over his uncharacteristic behavior.

He glanced at the bras, then back at me, his eyes betraying him. "You ready?" he asked, a little too eager to leave.

I almost smiled, amused that he was so uncomfortable. "I think so," I replied.

He looked down into my cart at the collection of items I'd gathered. His hand reached into his back pocket, and he pulled out his wallet along with some cash. "I'll be in the truck," he said, and handed me the money. With that, he walked off, vanishing out of sight.

Once I got everything paid for, I left Target, feeling a lot more at ease than when I'd come in. Masen's truck was parked along the curb, and I noticed the tarp was now gone.

"Here you go," I said, once I was in, and handed him a Snickers bar, to which he glared at me. "I had some extra money leftover, so I bought us candy."

"And you couldn't have just given me the change?" he asked haughtily.

I gave him a penny. "Happy?" I queried, and opened my bag of Swedish Fish. I popped a red gummy fish into my mouth…then grimaced as I chewed. "This is disgusting."

He tossed his Snickers bar onto the dashboard, abandoning it, and pulled the truck away from the curb.

Knowing he wasn't going to eat it, I sighed, grabbed the Snickers, and tore it open. I enjoyed it much more than the candy I'd actually bought for myself. Served me right to buy something I thought would be fun to eat.

"Where are we going now?" I questioned.

"Grocery store."

Ten minutes later, that was exactly where we were. He came in with me this time, and I stuck by his side while he went around the store, throwing items into our cart. So far, we had a loaf of bread, instant coffee, eggs, and two steaks.

"Are we eating steak tonight?" I asked as we entered the spices aisle.

"Yep," he replied.

"Can I cook them?" I questioned eagerly.

"No."

I scowled at him. "Why not?"

He picked out some pepper and placed it in the cart, ignoring me.

"I can cook," I assured pompously, even though I wasn't sure if I could. But, really, how hard could it be?

"You're free to cook. Just don't cook my meals." He pushed the cart out of the aisle.

I followed after him. "Fine, then. I'm going to cook my own meals from now on, and you'll wish I cooked them for you."

"Good," he said, then took out one packaged steak, tossing it on top of a stack of boxed sodas, and steered the cart to a checkout counter.

I crossed my arms and stood off to the side while Masen placed our items on the conveyer belt. The teenage pimply boy who was ringing up our groceries kept taking secretive glances at me, as if I couldn't see him. When he gave me a shy smile, I realized that he thought I was checking him out, so I shot my eyes to Masen instead.

He tossed some money to the kid, who seemed terrified now. Masen snatched the receipt out of the boy's hand and then headed toward the exit with his sole grocery bag.

"What a douche," I heard the boy mutter.

_Yeah, you're preaching to the choir, kid_, I thought to myself as I walked after Masen.

We stopped for gas and then returned to the highway that led back to Redwood. He fiddled a bit with the radio, before he got frustrated with it and turned it off.

"So, what did you donate?" I asked him.

He sighed. "Geese."

I quirked an eyebrow. That wasn't an answer I was expecting. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I expected. "You can do that?" I inquired curiously. I figured there were rules with what you could donate to a food bank.

"If I couldn't, I wouldn't," he responded.

"How often do you donate?"

"Once a week."

Ah. It was starting to make sense now. "So, you hunt the geese, and then you donate them," I assessed.

He turned his head to me then back to the road. "How do you know I hunt them?" he asked suspiciously.

"Your gun isn't exactly quiet," I responded sarcastically. "And I've…seen you before." I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable, and quickly decided to change the subject. "Why do you do it?"

"Is this whole ride gonna be spent playing twenty questions?" he queried, aggravated.

"No, I'm just curious, that's all."

"I do it, because I can."

I sighed, knowing he was lying. No one donated just because they could. There was always a reason.

X-X-X-X

I didn't utter a single word on the way to the tavern later on in the evening, mainly because my attempt at cooking had been a catastrophe. I'd tried cooking scrambled eggs, and they came out all rubbery with a few hints of egg shells in them. Eating hadn't been fun, and I could only stomach two prideful bites before I stuffed it all down the sink drain and flicked the switch to destroy my failure.

Masen had been reading his Vietnam War book on the couch during it all, but I knew he'd subtly been keeping an eye on me.

Inside the busy tavern, Masen took a seat on his usual stool. The place was more crowded than normal, and the rest of the stools were occupied, so I sat in an empty booth, trying to spot Alice through the crowd.

"Busy in here, ain't it?"

I looked toward the familiar voice, seeing Alice taking a seat across from me in the booth. "Yeah, what's going on?" I asked.

"Some semi truck show's on this weekend, so it's extra happenin' in here," she answered. "How are you doin', sugar?" She smiled devilishly. "How'd your guy like them dresses?"

I shrugged. "He didn't really notice them."

She snorted. "Doubtful," she said. "So, you remember anythin'?"

I frowned. "No," I replied, "but I did give myself a name."

"Oh, tell me," she requested eagerly.

"It's Petal."

"Aw," she cooed. "My Irish grandpa used to call my gran that all the time as a pet name."

"Aren't you southern?"

"Well, yeah. Born in South Carolina and moved to Florida in my teens. Came here ten years ago with my husband."

"And he's from Florida, too?"

"No, he's from Georgia. His parents are quite wealthy and wanted him to marry rich, too," she admitted. "He was stayin' with distant relatives in Florida one summer, and we met at the county fair." She chuckled. "We were head over heels for each other within a day. His parents didn't approve the match, of course, so he left home."

"Did you elope?" I asked.

"Definitely not. By the time we decided to marry, his parents got over it all, and they even came to the weddin'." She scowled. "His mother still hates me, but I suppose all mother-in-laws hate their daughter-in-laws."

I smiled weakly. I probably wouldn't know.

"Anyway, enough talkin' 'bout me or I'll tell ya my whole life story," she said with a giggle. "What's goin' on with you and Masen?"

"Nothing," I answered. "Well, I told him about my amnesia. He didn't believe me at first, but I guess he changed his mind. We don't talk about it, though. Actually, we don't talk much in general."

"Hmm," she hummed briefly in thought. "I know the pair of us don't know each other very well, but you're welcome to stay with me and my husband 'til you figure things out. We've got a spare bedroom and everythin'."

"Thank you," I said in earnest, "but I'm okay, really."

"Alright, but just know the offer won't be off the table," she said pointedly, and stood from the booth. "So, what can I get ya? And don't tell me you ain't got no money."

I shook my head. "Nothing, I'm good."

"I can cook ya up somethin'," she offered.

"You've got food here?"

She chuckled. "Sugar, this is a tavern. We better have food."

"Oh…well, in that case, I'm not that hungry." I'd lost my appetite after chomping on egg shells earlier.

"Hun, you're like skin and bones," Alice reprimanded, and looked toward the bar. "I hope he's feedin' you proper."

"Yes, of course he feeds me," I responded defensively.

"Well, well," she said, surprise in her tone, and smiled.

"What?" I asked, confused at her sudden amusement.

She laughed lightly. "Oh, nothin'. I've gotta go check on some things." She winked and scurried off, leaving me bewildered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Masen heading out the tavern's exit. I supposed that meant he was done and wanted to go, so I stood and looked toward the bar to wave goodbye to Alice, but my eyes zeroed in on something familiar resting on the counter. Masen's wallet. He must've left it there by accident.

I walked to it, but when I went to grab it, another hand tried to, as well. I looked up and saw Carmen. We both retracted our hands, scrutinizing each other.

"Excuse me, who are you?" she asked.

"Petal," I replied, and quickly grabbed the wallet before she went for it again.

"You should probably give that to me, so I can return it to the owner," she suggested, eyeing it in my hand.

I kept a tight hold on it. "I was going to do just that," I spoke snippily.

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "Well, I know the guy whose wallet that is, and I think it would be weird if some _random_ girl gave him his stuff back."

I suppressed a huff. "I'm not random. I live with him."

Her eyebrows pinched together. "What?" she hissed.

"Carmen!" Alice's voice yelled out nearby. "Don't be forgettin' you got customers!"

Carmen let out a frustrated sigh and left begrudgingly. I smiled to myself, my thumb rubbing over the warm leather of the wallet. I looked down at it and suddenly had an urge to look inside, so I did. There was an American Express credit card, a driver's license, a firearms license, and plenty of money. On the driver's license, it listed his name as Edward Masen.

_Edward. _

So, Masen was his last name, not his first. It was like I now knew something about him that others didn't. I sort of liked it.

I went for the exit, ignoring the guys who decided making kissing sounds at me would amuse them.

"Take care, Petal!" I heard Alice call out.

I glanced over my shoulder and waved at her before leaving the building. Masen-or Edward, rather-had the truck already turned on, obviously anxious to go. I got inside and tossed his wallet into his lap.

He grabbed it, appearing taken aback. "What were you doing with this?" he questioned hastily.

I quirked an eyebrow. The natural reaction would've been gratitude. "You left it on the bar."

He opened his wallet and checked the money slot.

I scoffed. "You actually think I'd steal your money?" I questioned, offended.

Silently, he pushed his wallet into his pocket and reversed the truck out of the parking space.

"You're welcome," I said cynically.

There was no reaction from him. Not even the usual glare.

The truck ride was quiet, but it was a different sort of quiet than normal. He was lost in his head, and I wanted to know what it was he was thinking about so intently. It made me wonder about that wallet. He didn't seem like the type that would be forgetful of his possessions.

Back at the cabin, Edward removed his field jacket and placed it around the back of the chair at the kitchen table, which left him in just a white T-shirt and his cargo pants. I wasn't used to seeing him without the jacket on.

"Did you leave your wallet there on purpose?" I asked curiously. It was the only theory I'd been able to come up with.

He was making a fire and turned his head minutely in my direction. "What?" he questioned, appearing distracted.

I crossed my arms in front of me. "Maybe so that Carmen would return it to you?"

He turned his head directly to me, raised an eyebrow, and then walked to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Okay…

I waited patiently, staring at the bedroom door. After more than ten minutes in there, he finally emerged, dressed in pajamas and holding a pillow.

"Why didn't you answer the question, Edward?" I inquired suspiciously.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "You looked in my wallet?" he questioned.

"Maybe."

He let out a sigh and went to the couch, carefully placing the pillow on the armrest. He was acting strange.

"And you still haven't answered my question," I reminded, frowning.

"Why all these questions about the bar girl?" he queried, leaning against the back of the couch and folding his arms in front of himself.

"Are you seeing her?" I asked bluntly. My mouth had no filter. I just had to know.

A crease formed on his brow. "She gives me beer and that's it."

I pursed my lips, debating whether he was telling the truth or not. I couldn't tell. "It sort of seemed like you two—" I began to say, when he suddenly interrupted.

"Stop talking," he snapped forcefully. "Just go to sleep."

I breathed in shakily through my nose, trying to control my temper. I hated when he spoke to me like that. "You know, I've been trying my hardest to be nice so we don't argue, but it's really hard with the way you speak to me."

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you _still_ talking?"

My jaw tightened. I was finally at my last rope. "That's it. I'm done," I announced, and went directly to the front door, pulling it open.

"What the hell are you doing?" he questioned angrily.

I stopped and turned to him. "I'm leaving," I answered. "Even though you've helped me more than I ever thought possible from you, you're also a jerk, and I don't have to put up with it if I don't want to. And right now, I don't want to. I can take care of myself."

He moved away from the back of the sofa, keeping his green eyes on mine. He abruptly grabbed his pillow off the couch and stormed to his bedroom. "See ya," he fired over his shoulder before slamming the bedroom door shut.

I probably stared blankly at the door for a total of two minutes before I decided I needed to move. My eyes took one last sweep of the cabin, taking it in, until my sight landed on Edward's field jacket placed around the back of the chair. I wasn't sure what made do it, but I went to it and ran my hands over the rough fabric. With one quick glance to the bedroom, I grabbed the jacket off the chair and quickly made a beeline out of the house.

Sadness washed over me briefly. I thought maybe I'd stayed long enough with him that he'd care about me in some way, but I supposed not.

After wrapping the jacket around my shoulders to keep me warm, I headed in the direction we'd usually take to go to the tavern.

It was pitch black as I entered the thick forest. Sounds of the animal night life filled the cold air. Drizzle began to fall from the sky, moistening my face. While I continued to walk, I prayed it wouldn't pick up. Of course, I had zero luck, because as soon as I prayed it wouldn't, heavy raindrops splashed against the leaves loudly.

My hair was starting to get wet, and I tightened the jacket around me, growing colder. There was no way I could continue walking with this rain escalating into a full downpour, so I quickly sheltered myself under a thick-branched tree, where I managed to stay relatively dry.

I thought maybe the rain would last a few minutes and then die down, but over fifteen minutes had gone by, and the storm wasn't weakening. I sat on the ground, against the tree, and used the jacket as a blanket, covering my now shivering upper body. I could feel my lips turning blue with how cold I was.

My head rested back against the bark, and I shut my eyes, the sounds of the storm intensifying. A clap of thunder crackled above me, followed by a flash of lightening, causing me to move the jacket up to cover my numb face.

I had no clue how much time had passed now, but I didn't think the storm was leaving anytime soon. I could either run back to the cabin and beg Edward to let me back in…or I could stay here.

But to me, there was no choice. I'd made my bed, and now I had to lay in it.

X-X-X-X

I awoke gradually and stretched, my joints cracking welcomingly. I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but I didn't want to, because I was super comfortable. I rolled onto my side and snuggled into the pillow under my head, smiling to myself. God, had I ever been more comfortable in my life?

Wait…why was I comfortable?

My eyes snapped opened and then widened. I bolted up in bed, staring around the bedroom I thought I'd never sleep in again. What was going on? Why on earth was I here?

I sprung out of bed, as if something had burned me, and dashed to the door. When I pulled it open, my breath hitched sharply.

Edward was sitting at the table, cleaning his shotgun that lay in pieces, the dogs asleep by his feet. His jacket had been returned to the back of the chair, as if it'd never been moved. He hadn't acknowledged me whatsoever, causing my nostrils to flare.

"Why am I here?" I asked through gritted teeth.

He glanced up at me and then went back to cleaning the barrel of his gun with a long brush. "I've been asking myself that since you washed up," he replied, his concentration only on his disfigured weapon.

I was furious. Beyond furious. What sort of game was this? "Why didn't you just leave me out there?" I yelled. "I was doing fine on my own!"

He set down the severed part of the shotgun and finally regarded me. "What the hell are you going on about?" he questioned, appearing annoyed.

I shook my head at him. "It started raining, so I stopped under a tree, but I must've fallen asleep by accident or something. Next thing I know, I'm back in your bed."

He looked at me incredulously, as if I was insane. "Boy, your memory is really shot to hell," he insulted.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know anything about you being under a tree. You've been passed out in the bed all night."

I stared at him blankly, completely and utterly bewildered at his words. "But…" I started, and paused, blinking rapidly. "But we had a fight. We had a fight, and I left." I pointed to the jacket on the chair he was sitting on. "I took your jacket with me."

"No fight," he assured.

I frowned. "I didn't leave?" I asked in a breath.

He shook his head and returned to cleaning his shotgun. "You're free to leave anytime, though."

My hand came up to the tender bump on my head, and I rubbed it. What was going on with my mind? I'd completely imagined an event and had no recollection of the actual event.

I'd officially gone insane. 


	7. You Bold Faced Lied to Me

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Captain Planet to my damaged ecosystem through pollution and deforestation. He's so cool.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN<br>*You Bold-Faced Lied to Me***

What was wrong with me?

That question kept pounding inside my head, over and over. I sat on the porch step, still dressed in my pajamas, not able to move. I hadn't eaten or taken a shower like I normally would've by now, all because of last night. An event my brain had fabricated.

Everything I'd done, the arguing, deciding to part ways, was all imagined. At least the wallet I'd sneaked a peek at was real, according to him. So, that begged a question. If I'd made up what happened last night, what else had I made up?

In the distance, I could hear Edward's truck. I let out a sigh and stood, just as the green hunk of metal approached. Sadie and Tucker were in the back, along with some fishing gear. They both barked as soon as they saw me.

After Edward parked, he got out and dropped the tailgate. Tucker was big enough to jump off the bed himself, but Sadie had to be placed on the ground by Edward.

"Did you catch anything?" I asked him.

He reached into the bed and took out the cooler he usually brought with him whenever he'd fish. "Yep," he answered. "And if you don't try to cook eggs again, maybe you can have some of this."

I gave him a sour look. "Very funny," I replied dryly.

As he walked past me to go into the house, he glanced down at my hand that was holding a daisy I'd uprooted from the ground. "Better not find that in the house," he warned, and vanished inside.

I suppressed a groan, tired of him bossing me around, and dropped the daisy to the ground to follow him and the dogs inside.

"What kind did you catch?" I asked him after shutting the door.

He turned on the kitchen sink and pushed his sleeves up. "Salmon," he answered, and removed a fish from the cooler.

I observed as he washed it carefully. "And…you go to the river to do that?" I asked hesitantly, feeling a lump in my throat at the very thought of it.

He set the fish down and opened a drawer, taking out a long, sharp knife. "Where else would I go?"

I sat down at the kitchen table, not able to stomach watching him slice into the salmon. "I tried going to the river once," I admitted, drawing patterns on the surface with my finger.

"And?" he queried distractedly.

I shrugged. "I can't go."

Whatever he was doing to the poor fish, he'd stopped now to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," I replied. "It was like…I was scared of it."

A crease formed on his brow. "Well, you got tossed around in there pretty bad."

"I know," I sighed, and remembered something. "But there's also this." I stood and went back over to him.

He remained frozen as he watched me lower the waistband of my pajama pants to show my hip. His eyes flickered down to where there was a small, red gash in the flesh right over my hipbone. I'd noticed it the first time I took a shower, but thought it was just another scrape like the other marks on my body. However, while those had already healed and disappeared, this one had scarred.

"Yeah, I saw that when I—" He abruptly stopped talking and cleared his throat. "Not sure what that is."

I raised an eyebrow at him briefly and then sighed thoughtfully as I settled the waistband back in place.

"What's wrong?" he questioned me, almost looking worried. Something I'd never seen from him before.

I shook my head. "I just wish I could remember."

He opened his mouth, looking like he wanted to say something, but then closed it and glanced at the mutilated salmon. "Got some stuff in the back of the truck I need to take out," he murmured quietly, and walked around me.

When the front door shut, I went to the sink and washed my hands, thinking I could help him make dinner when he got back. As I dried my hands with a dish towel, I glanced absentmindedly into the trash and then did a double take. I tossed the towel onto the kitchen counter and took out an empty Swedish Fish candy bag.

Yesterday, I'd brought the barely touched bag into the house after going to Redwood City, but hadn't even looked at it again, since I didn't like the Swedish Fish.

But Edward had eaten it.

The thought made me smile. He had a sweet tooth. No wonder he didn't want the Snickers, which was more of a savory-sweet snack, while gummy was purely sweet. Well, now I knew better.

The front door opened, causing me to hastily throw the bag into the trash. He gave me an odd look as he walked back to the sink, but I didn't think he knew what I'd found out.

"Can I help you cook lunch?" I asked him.

"No," he answered stoically, washing his hands again.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna ruin it."

He resumed gutting the fish, ignoring me. I let out a huff and decided to go try to keep myself busy.

X-X-X-X

"DAMNIT!"

My eyes widened at the sound of Edward's harsh voice from the bedroom. I was currently on the sofa, reading after a filling lunch. He'd gone into the bedroom for some reason, and now he was yelling.

He suddenly stomped out into the living room, holding his field jacket in one hand and a handful of daisy petals in the other.

I tried to hold back a laugh, but was failing miserably. "Guess you found my gift," I revealed.

He glowered at me intensely and balled his hand into a fist, crushing the petals. Oh, he was mad. I'd only done it to get back at him for always bossing me around. At the time, I'd realized it was quite vindictive, but I didn't much care.

He dropped the jacket to the floorboards and took steps toward me. "You and your goddamn petals. You're gonna get it this time," he threatened, his voice low and gravely.

What was he going to do? Not thinking twice about it, I shot off the couch, making a run for the door. But before I could open it, his arm came around my waist, and he backed me into the door. I gasped, feeling his hard body against mine.

Suddenly, there was laughter. From him. I blinked rapidly, unsure if I was hearing right. His mouth was contorted into the most beautiful smile I'd ever witnessed, showing how white and straight his teeth were. The corners of his bright eyes had tiny, defined wrinkles that I'd never seen before.

I realized his abrupt mood change had caused me to smile. There was a flutter in my chest, making my breathing falter. It was like I was looking at him in a whole new light.

Our eyes remained locked as his laughter died down, and soon, we were just staring at one another, unable to move or say anything. He glanced around my face and then back to my eyes, sending a thrill throughout my body. This was different. _We _were different; no longer strangers. It scared me and excited me all at the same time.

His brow began to furrow slowly. Whatever moment we'd just had was dying. And then…it was just a memory.

He reached his hand up and sprinkled the flower petals over my head. As they rained down my face, the hard expression he usually dawned returned in full force.

"Keep them out of the house, or it'll be you I keep out," he warned menacingly, and pulled open the door, sending me stumbling forward. He shut it loudly behind him. I was confused, shaken up, and with my hair full of petals.

Later that day, I was starting to get worried, because he hadn't come back after his bewildering exit earlier. I'd cleaned up the petals and read a bit to keep myself occupied until he returned, but now it was dark out. Sadie and Tucker were getting worried, too, because they'd both decided to camp out near the front door.

With a sigh, I went to the pantry to see if I could make myself some dinner, even though he hated me going through his things. Well, tough luck. He wasn't here.

I'd just taken out a can of potato soup, when Edward came through the front door, looking tired and worn out. Tucker was super excited to see him, acting as if it'd been years since they last saw each other. Edward squatted down to scratch the top of his head then patted him on the back affectionately.

"Where have you been?" I asked cuttingly.

He looked at me briefly before standing up straight. "Just took a ride," he answered, and eyed the can in my hand. "Are you hungry?"

I sighed, frustrated. "I was looking for something to eat."

"Come on, we'll go get something," he offered.

My eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. This wasn't like him. He liked eating in.

He took his truck keys out of his pocket. "Yeah, let's go."

I remained gawking at him for a moment and then walked to him. "Where are we going?"

"Tavern," he replied, and held open the door for me.

I went to the passenger side of the truck, a little on edge with how calm Edward seemed to be. Normally, he was either yelling at me or giving me a dirty look. Maybe he was taking the night off.

The tavern was fairly busy as we parked out the front. I realized I was actually happy to see Alice more than anything. She'd become a friend to me in the short amount of time I'd known her. It felt nice to talk to someone.

I was out of the truck before Edward, and I entered the tavern first. Alice was nowhere to be found, which probably meant she was in the back. The same kind of guys were here—large, most of them middle aged, some of them smoking, all of them drinking.

I sat down on a stool, next to a husky, bearded man who reeked of beer. He stared at me brazenly, making me uncomfortable, but said nothing. The empty stool on the other side of me suddenly became occupied by Edward. I looked at him in surprise. We never sat together.

"What are you having?" he asked, taking his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Uh," I fumbled, still shocked. "I don't know. What are you having?"

"Steak and fries."

"Okay, I guess I'll have that, too."

Carmen appeared behind the counter, her eyes on no one else but Edward. "Hey, Masen," she greeted, as if she'd known him for ages.

"The usual," he ordered impersonally. "And two plates of steak and fries." He took out some money from his wallet and placed it in front of her.

She leaned over the counter slightly, her cleavage accentuated in her low cut top and pushup bra. "How about we head over to my place after my shift," she offered.

Was I invisible, here?

I glanced at him, needing to see his reaction, and suddenly felt relief wash over me. He looked annoyed. More annoyed than he ever looked with me.

"As always, no," he shot back, and pushed the money closer to her.

She chuckled and picked up the money. "You know, one day, you're gonna get sick of telling me that." She finally noticed I was here, her eyes assessing me. "And who's this?"

"Oh, don't you remember?" I asked sickeningly sweet. "You practically wrestled me over a wallet." Yeah, I was exaggerating, but it might've gotten to that stage if she hadn't been called away by Alice. There was no way I would've let her have it, either.

She cleared her throat and looked at Edward, who was ignoring us, or pretending to. She actually seemed embarrassed. "Well, I'll just get these orders in," she said, and walked away.

Alice suddenly came out from the back. She spotted me instantly, her eyes lighting up. "Well, ain't this a surprise," she spoke to me. "Wasn't expectin' ya back 'til next week. What'cha doin' here?"

I smiled. "We're eating," I replied.

She looked at the strange man sitting next to me, who was still staring at me, and then snapped her fingers in front of his face. The man tore his eyes away from me and looked at Alice with a blank, drunken stare.

"Horace, go home to ya wife, will ya?" she requested.

He obeyed without a word, standing and leaving.

"He's harmless; I swear," she whispered with a smile, and then regarded Edward next to me with the same expression of shock I wore earlier. "Why, hello there, Masen."

He merely nodded in acknowledgement. I guess I couldn't expect his sudden benevolence with me to extend to others.

"Did Carmen get your orders?" she asked me, unfazed by Edward.

"Yeah," I answered.

"We've got Sam in the back doin' the cookin' tonight," she informed. "Did you order somethin' to drink, too?"

I shook my head. "No, but I'm okay."

She chuckled. "I don't wanna hear it, Petal. I'll make ya up somethin' and be back in a jiffy," she said, and left.

Edward groaned.

"What?" I asked him.

"You've got her calling you that?"

I smiled knowingly. "That's my name," I replied, half-joking, half-serious.

He didn't look very amused.

Carmen finally came back, but only with a mug of beer. She set it down and walked off.

"Hey," Edward called out to her, and she came back, looking reluctant. "There's too much head in here." He picked up the mug and practically shoved it at her.

She rolled her eyes and stalked off.

"Goddamn bar girl," he muttered, disgruntled.

I chuckled, so glad that rumor about him and Carmen seemed to just be speculation. I didn't know what would've happened if there had been truth to it. But that still didn't explain the wedding band.

"What?" he questioned curiously.

"What does it matter if there's a lot of foam?" I asked, trying not to smile too much.

"It matters," he responded flatly.

I shook my head in amusement.

Carmen returned, set the mug in front of Edward roughly, causing the beer to splash over the side a bit, and then disappeared.

Edward paid no mind to Carmen's hissy fit as he took a sip of his beer. I watched him, enjoying the companionship. It was nice to actually feel like, for once, I was getting along with the guy I lived with.

"Alright, here ya go," Alice said, snapping me out of my gaze. She'd come back with some sort of yellow, feminine looking drink. "I usually make these for myself after we close up here."

"Is this a Piña Colada?" I questioned.

"Yep," she answered proudly. "Everythin's fresh, too. Go 'head 'n take a sip."

I frowned. "Oh, I can't have this. I'm allergic to pineapple."

She cocked her head to the side, looking at me strangely. I glanced at Edward, who was also giving me a look of confusion. And then I realized what I'd said. Where on earth had that come from?

"My mistake," Alice spoke slowly. "I'll just keep this for myself and get you a Rum and Coke." She left, taking the drink with her.

"You're allergic to pineapple?" Edward asked.

"I guess so," I said, bewildered at myself. "It was as if I knew that subconsciously. Maybe I _finally _remember something." There was hope for me yet. I suddenly felt very proud that I was allergic to pineapple. It was a part of who I was. Pineapple had the potential to hospitalize me, and I was happy about it.

"Do you remember anything else?" he queried.

I shook my head sadly. If only.

"It'll come," he said so quietly, I barely heard him.

Alice returned with my drink as well as the food we'd ordered. Edward and I ate and drank in comfortable silence. I hadn't realized until it was too late that Alice had kept filling my drink up, so by the time we were ready to leave, my head felt light, and I just wanted to crawl into bed.

On the drive over, I battled my eyes to stay open, while Edward listened to the local radio. As soon as we returned from our night out, I went into the bedroom to change and get ready to sleep. Instead of collapsing in bed like I wanted to, I decided to do something I'd never done.

I pulled open the bedroom door. He was standing by the newly made fire. "Goodnight, Edward," I said, and smiled warmly.

He looked at me for a moment and then back to the fire. "'Night," he murmured quietly.

I guessed that meant we were going to go back to barely talking and pretending as if the other didn't exist. For what it was worth, I'd had a good time tonight. I wanted to tell him that, but I didn't think it'd matter, so I shut the door.

X-X-X-X

When I woke up next, the sun was beaming so brightly into the room, it gave me a splitting headache. Had I overslept?

I felt disgusting, like I needed to brush my teeth and take a shower. My joints ached as I got out of bed and stretched. Goodness, drinking didn't agree with me in the least.

After a shower and slipping on a dress, I left the bedroom. Edward sat at the table, eating what appeared to be some leftover salmon from yesterday.

"Finally awake," he observed, not even looking up from his plate. "You slept like the dead."

I sat down across from him, rubbing my eyes. "I guess I was tired," I croaked, my voice sounding unused.

"I went in there a couple times, and you didn't even stir," he admitted.

Oh, great. I hoped I didn't snore or do anything embarrassing. "Did I talk in my sleep?" I asked curiously.

"No," he said simply, and stood, taking his dish to the sink and washing it. "Last time you slept that deeply was when I brought you in from the rain."

I sat ramrod straight, completely alert over what he'd just said. "Come again?" I questioned. "When you brought me in from the rain?"

He shut off the faucet and stood there, not moving a muscle or chancing a glance in my direction.

Oh my God. Just by his stance, I could put two and two together. He'd lied to me. That night I'd left had really happen.

I slowly stood, my eyes boring into the back of his head. "We did have a fight, and I did leave," I whispered, more to myself. "You went and got me, didn't you?"

He turned around and simply stared at me, his blank expression giving him away.

"Why would you do that?" I asked, my tone raising. I was becoming angry. "Why would you lie to me?"

No response.

"Answer me," I demanded through gritted teeth.

"Because...," he started to say, but a heavy silence replaced his voice.

"Because what?" I prodded, though I knew he wouldn't answer. I shook my head in disbelief. "How could you? I thought I'd gone insane. You stood there, and you bold-faced lied to me…why?"

He finally blinked, and his lips parted, but he still wouldn't respond.

Tears sprung to my eyes, and I tried desperately to keep them back. "I can barely remember anything, and you took advantage of that," I said in finality, and walked back to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" he asked hoarsely to my retreating back.

"I can't look at you right now," I admitted, and closed the door behind me, shutting him out. Shutting me in.

The tears flowed and choked sobs racked my body. I covered my mouth with my hand, trying not to make a sound, and sat on the edge of the bed. Anger and hurt raced through me, causing the tears to fall harder. I felt betrayed. I felt deceived. But more than anything, I felt helpless.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**I'm pretty sure almost everyone suspected that he was lying. The question is, why did he?**

**The supertacular Le Crepuscule was sweet enough to make me a blinkie. It's amazing, guys, and represents the story so well. Feel free to check it out on my profile.**


	8. Stubborn as Hell

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Arnold Schwarzenegger to my secret housekeeping mistress.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT<br>*Stubborn as Hell***

Once I'd cried and calmed down enough to think clearly, I left the confines of the bedroom. I'd locked myself in there for a few hours, so I didn't expect Edward to be around, which he wasn't. Frankly, I wasn't too upset with his absence.

The last couple of days, it'd felt like something was changing between us. Even with his overall disgruntled attitude, I'd begun to trust him. But trust wasn't laid in cement, and lying was a sure-fire way to break it.

The question was why did he lie? I'd done nothing but be honest with him. I had nothing to hide. And though we weren't the best of friends, or friends at all, I still respected him on some level. I mean, the guy saved my life twice already. But apparently, respect didn't go both ways, because saving my life didn't automatically follow-up with telling the truth.

I could hear Sadie and Tucker barking outside. Looking out the window, I saw Edward throwing a stick for them to catch. Tucker beat Sadie to the stick and brought it back to his owner proudly.

I watched them for a little while, observing how normal the picture before me looked. In all honesty, they resembled a family, and that made me wonder—where was _my_ family? Why wasn't I with them? Did I even have one?

Edward suddenly looked in the direction of the cabin and caught my eye. He wore that same expression from when I confronted him earlier. After a moment, he regarded the stick in his hand and then threw it a distance away, returning to the game he was playing with his dogs.

I needed an answer from him. An honest answer. After everything I'd been through physically and emotionally, I didn't deserve this mistreatment. He could yell at me all he wanted, and I could fight back, but lying to me was something I couldn't accept, because it made me feel weak, like I was powerless.

With a deep breath, I pulled open the door slowly. I guess the stick had been thrown pretty far, because the dogs were nowhere to be found. He turned his head to me when the door clicked closed, and we merely stood a small distance from each other, neither of us uttering a word.

I sat down on the porch step just as Sadie came back with the stick in her mouth, Tucker trailing behind. She trotted up to me and dropped it at my feet, so I picked it up and threw it. Once they reached the lone stick, they both battled over it, creating a tug-o-war. When I looked back at Edward, his focus was trained on me, making me feel insecure.

"That night you said you were leaving, I didn't blink an eye," he started in admission. "Even after you left, it didn't register. I told myself it wasn't my problem." He turned his head back in the direction of the dogs. "When I came out of the bedroom later, I saw one those damn petals you're always leaving around. It was under the table. I was about to throw it outside, when it hit me that I'd never see one of those in the house again." He crossed his arms, as if protecting himself.

I knew that was all he was going to say, and honestly, I was fine with that, because I understood him better now. I almost was upset I didn't see it before. In his own way, he actually liked me around. We fought like the dickens, but aside from that, we'd learned to live with each other. He didn't _have_ to let me stay here, but he did. And I didn't_ have _to remain under his roof, but I did.

"Edward," I said, garnering his attention. "Don't you lie to me ever again." It was a warning. If he felt like he held all the cards, he would see that he was wrong.

There was something vulnerable in his eyes that I'd never seen from him. "I won't."

X-X-X-X

My lungs…they were blocked. O_h, God. I can't breathe. _

I was spinning and spinning, my body jerked around every which way, as if I weighed no more than a rag doll.

White. That was all I could see with my blurred over eyes.

My skin was numb. Cold. I couldn't feel anything. Was there even hot blood running through me anymore?

All I could do was fight, and so I did. Survive. I needed to survive.

"Petal."

_Survive! Keep fighting, damnit! _

"Petal!"

My eyes snapped open, and I gasped for air with all my might.

"_Shhh_, it's okay."

Who was that? "Edward?" I asked frantically into the darkness.

"Yeah, it's me," he whispered. He was only a black figure, kneeling by the side of my bed.

I brought a hand to my forehead, trying to calm myself. My heart was thumping a million miles per hour, slowly decelerating. Tears had collected in my eyes, and when I breathed in shakily, one trickled down my cheek.

Fear was coursing through me like never before. The darkness of the room only added to it. I pulled the blankets off me and got up from the bed.

Edward quickly stood. "What are you doing?" he queried.

"Going to the living room," I answered through shallow breaths, and walked past him.

He caught up with me just as I reached the open doorway. His hand came around my waist. "Hey, just hang on a second," he urged, pulling me back a bit. His arm reached past the wooden doorframe, and suddenly, the living room lit up. He moved his hand to the small of my back and led me to the sofa.

The cushions of the couch were warm from his body lying here not too long ago, and I found comfort in it. He sat next to me and removed his hand from my back. I suddenly realized how significantly I'd relaxed, just by him touching me.

"You okay?" he questioned.

I let out a long, steady sigh. "I am now."

He was quiet for a bit, I think giving me a moment to myself. "What was that about?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

"I was just dreaming," I said, more to myself than him.

"You were making these choking sounds. I could hear you all the way out here."

A crease formed on my brow, tension building in my forehead. "I was in water, and I couldn't control my body," I spoke. "I couldn't even breathe."

We both were silent for a while. I was lost in my thoughts, remembering the awful dream I'd just had.

"You think you're remembering something from before you washed up?" he questioned.

I hadn't thought of that. "Maybe…" I said, but I didn't really know.

He suddenly got up and disappeared behind the couch. I stayed frozen, thinking how real it'd been. It just didn't seem like something my imagination would make up. Then again, there was no way I could possibly know for sure…unless I miraculously got my memory back.

Edward returned, holding the pillow and blanket from my bed. He set the pillow on the floor. "Lie back," he requested.

I did as he said, resting my head on the pillow he usually slept on. It had the same sort of musky scent his clothes I used to wear had. He undid the blanket and laid it over me, making me feel warm in an instant. I watched him intently as he positioned himself to lay on the ground, parallel to me.

He was staying here.

I felt protected by him. Cared for.

He flipped over on his side, and I couldn't see his face anymore, but it didn't matter, because as long as I knew he was here, I could rest easier.

"You called me Petal," I realized.

He didn't answer.

I closed my eyes and drifted.

X-X-X-X

_Survive! Keep fighting, damnit! _

It was no use. My body was weaker than my mind, and I knew this was a losing battle.

My head finally came above water, the bright moon obstructing my vision, and I gasped for air with everything I had in me. Just as quickly, I was swept under again.

But I wouldn't give up.

My arms flailed, trying to rise to the surface against the overpowering pressure. Too late. My oxygen had run out again.

_Please, don't let me die. Not like this. _

"Goddamnit, Petal! Wake up!"

I choked myself awake, coughing and sputtering on air. Edward had his hands wrapped around my upper arms, shaking me lightly. I sat up, taking deep but ragged breaths to try to relax.

"You're okay," Edward soothed.

I swallowed thickly. "You were right," I said. "It was a memory."

He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. I couldn't imagine he was getting much sleep tonight. "Alright. Why don't you try sleeping again?" he suggested, and lay back on the ground; however, I didn't move. "Why aren't you lying down?"

"I can't," I whispered. "If I do, I'll just have the same dream again, and I won't be able to breathe." There was nothing worse than that feeling of having no oxygen in my lungs. I never wanted to experience it again.

"You'll be fine," he assured.

I shook my head. "No, I need to stay awake." No way was I falling asleep again.

He sat up, anger marring his features. "Lay down," he demanded.

"No," I countered with determination.

He ran a hand over his face, looking defeated. "You can't stay awake."

"I'm not going back to sleep," I said in finality.

"You won't be able to stay up for long."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Watch me."

"No, I won't. I wanna sleep. And you should, too."

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't tell you what to do, so don't tell me what to do."

His jaw clenched, and he returned to a laying position. "Fine," he huffed. "Do whatever the hell you want." He flipped over onto his side, facing away from me.

It only took him five minutes to sit back up.

"Petal, please sleep," he requested, his tone softer than before. "I won't be able to if you don't."

"Why not?"

"Because…" he paused "…I just won't."

I felt bad. He really couldn't fall asleep if I was awake. I didn't want him losing sleep over me, so I decided to comply…sort of. "Fine, I'll lay down," I said, and did just that.

"Good," he responded, and did the same.

I shut my eyes and pretended to be trying to sleep. I could hear him rustling around on the floor. Soon, he stopped and exhaled loudly.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I'd managed to stay awake, due to sheer will power. Edward's breaths were slow and even, letting me know he was out like a light.

Carefully and quietly, I got up from the sofa, making sure to avoid stepping on his long body, and crept to the front door. It made a creaking sound as I opened, but Edward didn't stir; however, I could see Sadie's beady little eyes staring at me. Thankfully, she didn't follow as I stepped onto the porch and shut the door with a soft click.

It was chilly out, causing me to cross my arms in front of me to retain some heat. I sat on the porch step, looking out into the dark forest surrounding the cabin and listening to the crickets chirp.

How long would it take me to remember my life? Lately, I was remembering bits and pieces—like being allergic to pineapple, or that I'd fought the pull of the river with everything I'd had—but that was it so far. I needed to know more, because it felt like something big was missing from me…lost somewhere down that river.

An unmeasured amount of time passed as I continued sitting. Since I'd managed to get some sleep before, I wasn't that tired, but I knew it would only be a matter of time. I had to fight it.

The sky grew lighter, which meant dawn had approached. I'd stayed awake all night.

The door creaked open behind me, causing me to look over my shoulder. Edward stood in the doorway, in his pajamas. There was a distinct crease on his forehead.

"You lied to me," he accused, his voice hoarse from sleep.

I shook my head. "No, I said I'd lie down, and I did."

"But you didn't sleep."

I turned forward again. "If I sleep, I won't be able to breathe."

He sighed heavily. "Your body will shut down soon."

"No, it won't," I assured, fully believing that if I had the determination to stay up, I could do it.

"God, you're stubborn as hell," he muttered.

The door slammed shut.

The rest of the day was spent taking a shower, getting changed, reading, going for a walk through the forest, and attempting to cook scrambled eggs again, which came out undercooked. At least there were no egg shells in them this time.

Edward went about his usual routines without glancing once in my direction. He took the dogs, his shotgun, and left sometime in the morning, not returning until the afternoon. But when he was back in the house, I could feel him watching me. However, every time I'd look in his direction, I'd be proven wrong.

I'd managed to keep alert throughout the day, but by the start of sunset, it was apparent that I was beginning to tire. My eyelids were drooping, my body felt weaker, and I had a harder time concentrating.

To try to counteract my body's demands, I went for another brief walk through the forest. As I returned, I realized the walk hadn't helped. I was officially tired and ready to sleep. But I couldn't. No, I needed to stay awake.

The front door opened just as I approached the porch. Edward had an eyebrow raised at me.

"I made coffee," he said.

Coffee. Why hadn't I thought of that?

I followed him in, where a hot cup of coffee was waiting for me on the table. I sat down eagerly and drank it, savoring the heat and caffeine mixed together.

"I'm gonna take a nap," he notified. "I'll just be in the bedroom."

I nodded silently and went back to sipping my coffee. This was good. He'd used milk in it.

While waiting for the caffeine to kick in, I battled my eyes. How long did it take for coffee to give someone a boost of energy?

The coffee was gone. I was still tired. In fact, I was even more tired than before. Wasn't coffee supposed to work?

Sadie was sniffing around on the floor, her little nostrils making puffing sounds. She went over by the bedroom door that was ajar. Edward was probably asleep by now.

"Sadie," I whispered, just as she began clawing at the door, trying to get it open. "Get away from there."

She didn't listen, pushing it open with her nose and squeezing her small body through. I shot off my chair to try to get her so she wouldn't disturb Edward. Knowing him, he'd scold her.

The door was half open, and I managed to slip in without it opening more. But when I looked at the bed, there were two clear green eyes staring back at me.

"Oh," I said, surprised, and looked at the length of his body. He had his arms propped under his head, elongating his torso. "You're still awake."

"Can't sleep, I guess," he replied.

Sadie was on the bed, lying by his crossed ankles. I looked at the empty space next to him, taking a step closer. Suddenly, I felt even more tired. Coffee seemed to have no effect on me whatsoever. All I wanted to do right now was fall on the bed and give into my baser instinct to sleep.

"Anything I can do?" I questioned, feeling like a zombie.

"No."

"Is there any reason you can't sleep?"

"Got a lot on my mind," he admitted casually.

I quirked an eyebrow, extremely curious to know what it was he thought about. "Like what?"

He moved one arm from under his head and rested it on the empty spot of the bed. "Do you wanna hear?"

I was shocked. Did he actually want to tell me what he was thinking about? "Really?" I queried.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna tell you if you're all the way over there, standing like an idiot, so come here." He patted the spot next to him.

I stood, frozen, deciding what to do. He was willingly offering insight into his mind, but I had to lie on the bed in order for that to happen. If I did that, the desire to conk out would be much stronger.

Part of me felt like I was being set up by him, because he was never much of a talker, but this was a rare opportunity. Who knew when he'd be so willing again?

Decided, I got on the bed and lay down next to him, making sure to keep a small distance from his body. I swore I could feel the heat radiating off him.

"So, what were you thinking about?" I asked to start him off.

"I know you found my wedding band," he said.

I blinked rapidly, surprised that he knew that. I felt embarrassed and ashamed, wishing I hadn't snooped. "I…I'm sorry," I spoke quietly. "I got bored one day and couldn't help—"

"You don't need to explain," he interrupted.

"Okay," I said with a frown. "Uh, so you were married?"

He nodded, looking up at the ceiling.

"Did she…Did she die?" I asked cautiously, hoping not to trigger some sort of bad memory of his.

"No," he answered, and sighed. "She's alive."

I furrowed my brow. "Then, what happened?"

"I met her in college. It wasn't long after that we married. Stuff happened, and four years ago, we divorced."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out," I spoke in earnest, feeling a pang in my chest for him. "What's her name?"

"Maggie."

"Ah," I said, and paused. "What sort of stuff happened?"

He shifted a bit, looking reluctant to answer. "Ever heard of Red's Coffee House?" he questioned, and I tried to rack my brain. He turned his head to observe me, then stared back up at the ceiling. "No, I guess you wouldn't. Anyway, it's a coffee chain. Top ten largest in the US. My dad served in 'Nam. When he got home, he started a small coffee dive called Redwood's Coffee House."

"In this town?" I asked.

He nodded. "Anyway, I was born and raised here, so I practically grew up going there. I'd even worked there in my teens. Around the time I met her, Dad had a stroke. He didn't last much longer after that, and the coffee house went to me."

"I'm sorry," I apologized sympathetically. "What about your mom?"

"She left around the time I turned two," he admitted. "Was just me and my dad."

I frowned, sad that he only had a father. "That's awful."

"It's fine. I got over it later," he spoke. "Dad was all I got, and I wanted to show him I was doing something with my life, so I took his coffee house, changed the name a bit, and expanded it. It took a while and a lot of patience, but it happened." He shook his head, as if remembering something. "I didn't realize how much it would take over my life, though."

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

"Maggie knew how important my work was. She even said she admired my ambition and determination. I had goals, and I didn't stop until I achieved them—first with expanding to Southern California, then the west coast, the Midwest, and finally, the east, until there were chains in almost every populated city around the country.

"Expanding became my number one priority, so I had us move to Los Angeles where headquarters was set up. Things changed when we moved. I'd spend hours at the office, not coming home until the morning. I'd work on the weekends. I'd even cancel dinner reservations with her at the last minute if I felt like I needed to put in more time at the office.

"For years, she said nothing, and I continued exactly what I was doing. Out of the blue one time, she said things were wrong in our marriage, that I wasn't paying attention to her. After that, the arguing started, and I distanced myself more. At the time, the way I saw it, nothing was as important as my business, and she knew what I was about when she first married me, so she had no reason to complain."

He cleared his throat and continued, "One day, I came home to find her stuff gone. She left me a note saying she'd fallen in love with someone else and was leaving me." He chuckled, though there was no amusement in it. "I was pissed. Really pissed. My thoughts were only that I couldn't believe she'd have the audacity to leave someone like me, not that she'd had an affair and left me for him. Later, I checked up on the guy she left me for and found out he was just some penniless photographer. Nothing special at all. So, when the divorce came, I figured she'd try to get the best settlement out of me…but that wasn't the case."

"What'd she ask for?" I inquired on bated breath.

"Nothing," he answered, sounding in awe of himself. "She asked for nothing. Not one damn thing. Not one of our cars, not the condo she loved up in Stinson Beach, not even Sadie. Just the divorce." He shook his head.

"Sadie was her dog?" I questioned.

"When we moved out to Los Angeles, she bought Sadie, and I bought Tucker. That was her dog, and she left the thing with me," he spat. "She didn't want it. What was I going to do, throw the thing out?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Sadie is not an _it _or a _thing_. She's a living, breathing animal."

He glared at me and then huffed.

I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about your wife…er…ex-wife," I corrected. "That was wrong what she did. She could've at least talked to you."

"She warned me she'd leave," he said. "I didn't believe her. I thought she was full of it. And when she asked for nothing…" he swallowed thickly "it just made me rethink…everything. She was more than happy to live some poor life with a nobody than with someone accomplished. What did that say about _me_? That was when I realized I loved my work more than her. More than anything, really.

"Some people are addicted to drugs, alcohol; I was addicted to my job. I loved it. I needed it. And it cost me my marriage." He looked at me, so much doubt and insecurity there. "My dad would've torn me a new one if he saw what I did to his little hole in the wall coffee dive. I'd destroyed it. So, I sold everything and left it all behind. I couldn't stay in LA anymore, because that was where everything went south, where my greed was fueled, giving me exactly what I wanted. I moved back here and haven't left since."

"Edward," I started in assurance, "I'm sure your dad would've been proud of you regardless."

He shook his head. "The original coffee house—the one that started it all—it's gone. Got rid of it. It wasn't about him anymore. It became about me."

"But are you happy like this?"

"This is my birth town," he said. "My dad used to take me hunting with him in those woods out there. I drove my first car down that road. This is where I should've lived with Maggie."

I frowned, looking down at the blanket. "You miss her?"

"After she chose that ridiculous photographer over me? She can burn in hell."

My eyes lifted to his. "You must be lonely," I observed.

He was watching me closely. "Not so much," he spoke softly, and then looked to the ceiling. "I've lived by myself for four years now. I go up to the tavern once a week, and that's about it. This is where I'll die."

I pursed my lips. "You haven't tried going back to LA?"

"I'll never go back there," he practically growled. "Sometimes, when I go to Redwood City, and I see that damn Starbucks there, all I can think about is how my chain could've become like them if I'd kept at it. I could've gone global, infiltrated Wi-Fi, partnered up with Apple to bring music into the stores…" His voice trailed in wonderment. He was getting lost in his head.

"Edward?" I asked, trying to garner his attention.

He looked at me, snapping out of his reverie. "Hmm?"

"Is that why you only go once a week?"

"Yeah."

Even though he had problems in his past, at least he had _something_. What did I have? I couldn't even remember anything. In all honesty, I'd trade his life for my nothing life. "I envy you," I admitted.

"What?" he asked, sounding disgusted. "Why is that?"

"You have memories. You have a dad who you remember. A childhood. You went to college, you married, you had a business…you lived a life."

"Petal, I lived a shit life. In the end, it all meant nothing. How the hell do you envy someone like that?"

"I just do," I whispered. "Do you think there's someone out there that loves me?"

He didn't reply straight away. "Yes," he answered, sounding certain.

I wanted to believe him. I wished more than anything I had a family, with people that loved me. Content with his answer, I allowed my eyes to close, tired of trying to keep them open. 


	9. This and That

**A/N: **

**He didn't slip her anything in the coffee. I'll admit, he was being sort of sneaky and did _something _to help her succumb to what her body needed, but he didn't put anything physical in her coffee to make her sleep. Clear things up a bit? Sweet.**

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Snap, Crackle, and Pop to my Rice Krispies.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER NINE<br>*This and That***

I came back into consciousness sometime later, my eyes adjusting to seeing Edward still next to me, asleep. His hands were propped behind his head, his breaths slow, deep, and even. He seemed so relaxed as he slept.

That was when I realized _I'd_ fallen asleep.

I sat up with a gasp. "Edward," I breathed, and grabbed his shoulders, trying to shake him awake.

He groaned, scrunching his forehead.

I continued shaking him. "Wake up, Edward. I fell asleep. How could I let myself fall asleep?" I asked urgently.

"Petal—goddamnit—stop shaking me, will ya?"

I stopped and watched as he sat up and rubbed his eyes before opening them. His hair hadn't moved an inch from when I last saw it. He must've been a still sleeper.

"I was supposed to stay awake," I said.

He sighed grumpily. "Well, did you have one of those water dreams?"

I tried to recall. I didn't think I had any dream, or if I did, I didn't remember. "No…," I answered.

"Then? Guess it's over and you can stop bugging me about it."

"But…that doesn't mean it's over. What if I have another one?"

He ran a hand through his hair then scratched his bearded jaw. "You won't."

"How do you know?"

"I don't."

Well, that wasn't very reassuring. "I'm not going to risk it."

"Petal," he sighed, sounding frustrated. "Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? You're not going back in the water, and…" he paused, taking a deep breath "…I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"You won't?" I asked softly, already feeling calmer.

"I won't," he assured.

"You promise?" I needed more validation.

"Yeah."

"But you can't stop the dreams."

"We'll figure it out, okay? Are you tired?"

I felt like I'd only gotten twenty minutes sleep. It wasn't enough for my body to feel strong again. "A little," I spoke modestly.

He got up and pulled down the blanket. "Here, get under."

I did as he said and slid underneath the soft cover. Surprisingly, he got under, too. I wasn't complaining. I liked him here.

He faced the ceiling, staring up at it. I had a strong urge to rest my head against his shoulder. Would he freak out if I did? He seemed like a man who liked his space, but I didn't want my own space. I would sleep easier if I was in his. So, I moved to him slowly, testing it out. He didn't say anything. I lifted my head from the pillow and placed it on his shoulder. In response, he stiffened, but didn't speak a word. I shut my eyes, more comfortable than ever.

However, when I woke up later that night, he was gone.

X-X-X-X

We drove on the road behind a massive semi-truck. Edward kept looking in his side-view mirror, and I wondered why.

"What is it?" I asked.

He looked in his mirror again. "Something's not right with the back tire," he murmured.

"You think it's flat?"

He steered the truck into the tavern's parking lot and pulled into an empty space. "Not sure. You go in, and I'll be there in a minute. Just need to check it out."

When I went inside, Alice was behind the counter, her back facing me. I was happy to see her. "Hey, Alice," I greeted, causing her to turn around with a dishrag and an empty beer mug in her hands.

She grinned, her eyes assessing me. "Well, look at you," she said, seeming surprised at something.

I looked down at myself to see what she was talking about. "What am I looking at?" I questioned.

She chuckled. "The first time you came in here, you were as glum as a plum. Now, you're all happy and everythin'."

I smiled shyly. I could probably say I was happier than I had been before. Mainly due to the fact that Edward and I were getting along so much more lately.

Since that day he'd slept in the same bed as me, we hadn't had a repeat. He went back to the couch, and that was that, but there was a difference this time. Whenever I'd have those same water dreams, which I had a few of, he'd wake me up and move me to the living room with him. I began to almost look forward to having the dreams, just to sleep near him.

"Somethin's happenin' with you and Masen, huh?" Alice asked.

"No!" I fired back automatically, shocked at what she was implying. "Nothing's going on between us."

Alice smiled, shaking her head, obviously aware at how defensive I was.

In all truth, I was starting to think of him differently without meaning to. It was just sort of evolving on its own. I'd look at him, and I'd see this man who'd put his neck on the line for me more times than anyone ever would've, this man who was afraid of himself, of who he once was. It made me more sympathetic to how he acted.

He had weaknesses, and that made him real to me. It was like we were on an even playing field, because although he seemed together, living his life like he always had, he really wasn't. Just like me.

I broke out of my thoughts when I noticed Alice looking over my shoulder.

"Goodness," she muttered in distaste.

I glanced behind me to find Carmen sitting on the lap of one of the male patrons, letting him kiss her neck as she giggled.

Alice threw the dishrag onto the counter. "I swear to the Holy Lord himself, I'd fire that two bit hussy if she didn't bring in so many…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back at me in wonderment. "Sweet Jesus, my prayers have been answered."

"Alice, what is it?" I questioned in concern. "And why are you looking at me like that?"

"How you feel 'bout money?"

I shrugged. "I like money," I said, unsure where she was going with this.

She smiled devilishly. "Alright, then. Ya hired."

I blinked twice. "Come again?" Had I heard her correctly?

"All you need to do is work the bar, and I'll do the rest."

My face fell. She was serious. "But...but what about Carmen? I thought you said she brought in a lot of customers."

"Well, miss thing," she started, leaning over the counter to me, "all it takes is a pretty face, and you've got that. You'll have them lining up in no time."

I shook my head frantically. "No…Alice, I don't know the first thing about bartending."

She clicked the roof of her mouth with her tongue. "You're thinkin' too much, sugar. All ya gotta do is a little bit of this and that, and then everythin' will be hunky-dory."

My brow furrowed. "I don't know what you just said."

"Goodness me!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I'll train ya up and give ya cash under the table. Sound good?"

The back door abruptly opened, and Jasper walked out.

"Oh, _shh_, let me do the talkin'," Alice whispered to me as he came over to us. "Hey, puddin'."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Cheney says ya stiffed him thirty bucks in the pool game earlier, and he be wantin' his money back."

"I did no such thing! I won that fair and square!" Alice yelled. "You go tell that boy I ain't no Yank."

He rolled his eyes and turned away.

"Wait, wait, wait," Alice urged, garnering an unenthusiastic expression from him. "Just to let ya know, I'm firin' Carmen tonight."

He glowered at her. "No, Alice. Now, we talked 'bout this. The girl brings in—"

"Yes, I know that," she interrupted, "but I've decided to hire someone who I think'll bring in more."

"And who might that be?"

Alice waved her hand in my direction, as if presenting me to him.

Jasper didn't seem very enthralled with her choice. "You got experience?" he asked me.

"Yes, she does," Alice answered before I could tell him I didn't have any.

Jasper flashed her a glare and looked back at me. "Can ya work weekends?"

"Yes, she can," Alice replied, once again, before I could.

"Alice, I ain't talkin' to ya!" Jasper snapped.

"I'm just sayin' what she'd tell you, anyhow," she responded defensively.

"Don't think I don't know ya lyin'," he spoke angrily to her. "Ya get that line on ya forehead when ya fib."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Oh, hush! I'll train her and make sure she's ready. I'm firin' Carmen, and that's the end of that!"

He grumbled to himself and pushed the back door open, disappearing.

"God love him, but it's like herdin' cats with that man," she spoke offhandedly, and regarded me with a renewed smile. "Well, welcome aboard, sugar."

Was I really going to do this? I liked Alice, and money was certainly good to have…

Edward suddenly took a seat on the stool next to me.

"Is the truck okay?" I asked him.

"There's a nail in the back tire," he said. "Gotta change it tomorrow."

Alice motioned with her hand for me to lean over the counter to her, so I did. "Gonna tell him ya workin' here?" she asked in a whisper.

"Later."

X-X-X-X

"You'll be okay to sleep tonight?" Edward asked after we were both ready for bed.

"I think so," I replied, though I knew I'd most likely come out here to the living room with him at some stage in the night. "So, um…hey. I got a job."

He dropped his pillow to the couch and looked at me with a crease on his forehead.

"At the tavern," I clarified.

"You're gonna be working at the tavern," he said, as if he didn't believe it.

"Just Fridays and weekends."

"And they hired you just like that."

I shrugged, because I knew how it sounded. "Alice pretty much offered it to me. It's cash under the table, plus tips."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Bar work."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You realize Redwood Tavern is a truck stop, right?"

Hence all the truckers. "Yeah, so?"

"You won't exactly get Mormons in there, Petal."

I sighed. "Yes, I'm aware of that. Are you suggesting that I can't take care of a couple rough looking men?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't mean _take care_ of them," I quickly corrected, my cheeks flushing red. "I mean…just…" What was I even saying? "I want to work there. I like Alice, and…it's something different. Plus, I get to make money, which is a bonus." I could actually buy stuff instead of relying so much on Edward.

He shook his head and lay down on the couch. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn you."

I huffed. "You're being ridiculous."

"Right," he muttered. "Turn off the light, will you?"

I flicked the light switch roughly and went into the bedroom.

The next afternoon, I left through the front door. The truck was parked around the side of the cabin. Edward had lifted the hood and was hovered over the engine with a ratchet, dressed in just a thin, white T-shirt and jeans. Sweat moistened his brow and thick grease covered his hands, arms, and clothes. I might've been staring a bit longer than I should've.

"Did you fix the tire?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Yep," he said, not looking up from under the hood. His arm was flexing and twisting as he worked with the ratchet, his muscles becoming more defined.

I swallowed thickly, my eyes blurring over. "Are you fixing other things now?"

"Yep."

Well, he certainly was the chatty one today. "Alright, then, see you later tonight," I said, and walked past the truck toward the path that led to the road.

"Hold up," he hollered, causing me turn in his direction. He was looking at me like he was a mixture of confused and out of breath. "Later tonight?"

"Alice told me to come in early so she could train me, then I'll be working the bar with her," I informed.

"And how are you getting back?" he inquired.

"She said she'd drop me off."

He sighed and looked back down at the engine.

"I better go," I said, and picked up walking again.

"Petal," he called out, making me stop once again. He wore an expression of sincerity. "Be careful…"

_I walked toward a dark gathering of trees, trying to get there as fast as I could. There was urgency in my steps, like I needed to get away. I glanced over my shoulder just to see if someone was following me, and sure enough, there was. A man was trying to catch up to me, so I slowed down. _

_As he approached me, he seemed worried. In the darkness, I couldn't entirely make him out, but he had light hair and looked to be middle aged. He was handsome for his age, but there was an all-business attitude he _a_pp__eared to harbor. _

"_What are you doing out here? It's freezing. Come back inside," he advised sternly, but there appeared to be a touch of gentleness, too. _

_I shook my head as I continued walking to my goal. "I'll be back there in a few minutes. I just need time to myself," I spoke. My voice sounded hoarse, like I'd been crying. _

_He sighed and stopped walking, letting me continue on. "Be careful, princess," I heard him call out. _

"You okay?" Edward asked, bringing me out of…whatever that was.

"Uh…" I spoke in a daze, and shook myself out of it so that he wouldn't worry. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be back later."

X-X-X-X

"Alice, I can't wear this," I said as I looked at myself in the full-length mirror.

"And why not?" she questioned.

"It's…too much." I was wearing cut off denim shorts and a red low-cut tank top, showing cleavage I didn't think I had. They were her clothes, and she was smaller than me, so they were _tight_. I almost couldn't breathe.

"It's gonna get you some good tips."

I frowned. "I look like Carmen." And she was the last person I wanted to look like.

"Hush up. You ain't nothin' like her. But it don't hurt to show off what God gave ya," she said, and adjusted my bra cups.

I flinched away. "Hey!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Don't touch me there."

"Sugar, I got a pair of my own. I'm not touchin' there for kicks." She adjusted my bra cups again, and I let her begrudgingly. My breasts looked much bigger than they actually were. It must've been the magic of the push-up bra Alice lent me. "Just wear this tonight, and you'll see. They'll be sayin', 'Carmen who?'"

"Fine," I agreed. "But I'm not dancing on the bar."

She chuckled. "Honey, don't you worry. Them guys are harmless…mostly. I mean, they all got wives at home or look elsewhere for…entertainment. And if they give ya a problem, tell them ya ain't interested. If they continue, and sometimes they might, well, ya get tough. Show them who's boss, and they won't mess with ya anymore."

The rest of the afternoon was spent being trained by Alice. She showed me where the dumpster was, told me about the cold room that chilled the alcohol. I got to meet Sam, who was the cook. He was from a local reservation and worked here on the weekends.

Jasper had to teach me about draft beer and how to use the beer tap, since that was mostly what I'd be working with. He wasn't too happy about teaching me, considering he was against firing Carmen in the first place, but Alice seemed to have him wrapped around her finger, even though it appeared like it was the other way around.

Once Alice had run over pretty much everything she could think of, we took up drying beer mugs and placing them under the counter.

"Now that ya workin' here and all," Alice started in low voice, "I should probably tell ya, we always got a game goin' on in the back."

"A game?" I asked curiously.

"Texas Hold'em," she replied. "That's where my dear husband usually is, playin' with the locals."

"Alice, I'm not familiar with gaming laws, but isn't that illegal?"

"That's why we don't tell no one," she said, and winked.

We finished up with the last of the mugs, so we took a break to eat some dinner before the doors opened to customers. I sat across from her in one of the booths as we ate the BLT sandwiches Sam prepared for us.

"Today's been a good day," Alice said with a full mouth, and swallowed loudly, "because I'm realizing I never have to see Miss Santa Clarita Hussy ever again." She laughed at herself. "Felt good to get rid of her, too. She had a hissy fit and stormed right on outta here."

"Aren't you worried about the customers that come here for her?" I asked, finishing off the last of my sandwich.

"Nah," she said. "These men are creatures of habit. They ain't goin' nowhere. And definitely not when they get a look at you."

X-X-X-X

Saturday nights were busy. I just never realized _how_ busy they were, because ever since the doors opened, I'd done nothing but serve customer after customer. The room was full of big men bearing frightening tattoos and reeking of beer.

I took it all in stride, trying not to become overwhelmed. Alice put me at ease by staying at my side as much as she could.

"Alright, hun, ya ready to be introduced?" Alice asked me, and before I could answer, she hopped up on the bar. "Hey, y'all!" Her voice boomed across the room, causing all the patrons to stop talking and look up at her. "We got us a new bartender. Come say hello to Petal."

My jaw went slack as I collectively watched Alice hop down and every pair of eyes look at me. There was suddenly whistling, hooting, and hollering.

"Hey, sweetie, you got a fine set of legs there," one burly man complimented.

"Oh, thank you," I said shyly in response.

"I've got a nice trailer nearby. You wanna see it later?" another older man asked.

"Uh, no," I replied.

More questions, compliments, and general innuendos were thrown my way, until Alice waved her hands. "Alright, alright, fellas. Settle, please," she commanded. "Are ya orderin' drinks or what?"

The crowd around the bar started dissipating, save for the guys already sitting on the stools. Alice walked to the back door, and I followed directly behind her in security.

"Hun, ya can't stay glued to my side," she said, chuckling. "Go talk to 'em. They won't bite."

I sighed as I watched her push open the door and vanish into the back. When I turned around, most of the guys sitting at the bar were staring at a various part of my body. Great. I walked up to the only guy who wasn't looking at me but at his beer instead. He was a thin man with a salt and pepper beard, and a trucker hat on his head. There was a tattoo on his forearm of an anchor.

"Hi, how are you?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

He looked me up and down. "Good now," he answered, straightening up and taking a pull from his beer mug.

"You come here a lot?" I questioned, keeping myself from crossing my arms in protection.

"Every Saturday for twenty-six years," he replied.

"That's a long time," I commented. Wait...twenty-six? I was pretty sure Alice and Jasper had only had this place for a few years.

He nodded, and a small smile twisted at his mouth. "You look a lot like my daughter."

"Oh, really?" Well, that was good news that he had a daughter, which meant he probably had a wife. And apparently, I reminded him of said daughter.

"Yeah, long, dark hair, short like you…and a great ass, too." He lifted his mug in a salute to me and took another pull.

"Uh…," I uttered, unsure how to respond to that.

"So," he started, setting his beer down, "you into threesomes?"

My jaw dropped.

"Marcus, you old loon," the old man next to him said, "Stop toying with the girl."

The guy who had just propositioned me started laughing abruptly, almost falling off his stool.

"He's just messin' with you," the other man assured.

"She almost shit a brick!" Marcus exclaimed through boisterous laughter.

I cocked my head to the side. "So, I'm guessing you're not actually into threesomes," I said, "because I could sure go for one right now."

Marcus stopped laughing with deer caught in the headlight eyes.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'm just kidding," I assured.

The old man next to Marcus found me amusing. "She got you there," he said, slapping Marcus on the back, who had now picked up laughing again.

"Petal," I heard Alice call from down the other end of the bar, so I went to her.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She placed four mugs of beer on a tray. "I need you to take these to the back," she spoke in a low voice.

"The back?" I asked, though I knew she was referring to where the poker was played.

"Inside the office is a black door. Go through there," she whispered, and handed me the full tray that was heavy. "Don't drop it. Think you can handle this?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said, doing a balancing act, and made my way into the back.

The office door was wide open, so I went inside. The black door was closed, however. I set the tray on the desk and slowly opened the door. Taking the tray with me, I looked inside first. It was a darkened room with just one overhead lamp shining down on a circular table. Four men, including Jasper, sat there, looking at cards and throwing poker chips to the center of the table. They didn't look up from their cards as I entered, closing the door behind me.

"New girl?" one of the men asked. He wore a blue baseball cap and appeared to be in his late twenties.

"Yep," Jasper answered in concentration.

"Not too shabby," the man replied, causing all the guys to chuckle lightly.

Carefully, I placed a beer in front of Jasper, which he took a sip of. I continued around the table, giving the three other guys their beers.

"All in," a man with a red baseball cap said.

"Fold."

"I'm out."

"Same here."

"I bet your cards were shit, Newton," the guy with the blue cap said.

Newton merely laughed and took the chips from the center. The cards went back to Jasper, and he shuffled expertly before dealing them out.

Just as I got to the blue cap guy and was about to place a mug in front of him, I felt his hand on the back of my bare thigh, causing me to tip the beer a bit into his lap.

"Wanna watch where you put my beer?" the man asked, sliding his rough hand further up the back of my thigh.

I set his beer down. "Wanna watch where you put your hand?" I quipped, and ripped his fingers from my leg.

The other guys in the room chuckled.

"Cheney, hands off or ya out," Jasper threatened.

Cheney groaned in acquiescence and picked up his cards.

Before I left the room, I mouthed a thank you to Jasper, to which he merely nodded in acknowledgment. When I went back out to the bar, Alice waved me over.

"Guess who's here," she said, and pointed discreetly to the other end of the bar.

Edward.

I was surprised to see him, considering today was a Saturday. Nevertheless, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face at the sight of him. Was he here to see me or was he just here for a beer? He finally spotted me, but didn't look as happy as I was to see him.

I left Alice and went over to him. His eyes never left me once. "Hey, Edward," I greeted with a timid smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Here for a drink," he replied tersely.

My smile fell. So, we were back to this now? "Jasper taught me how to use the beer tap," I stated proudly, trying to spark some sort of conversation with him. "I can do it just the way you like."

"Hey, sweet ass!" a tattooed up man yelled out from the other side of the tavern, where he sat with a group of equally tattooed men. "You gonna bring us beers or—?"

Edward looked over his shoulder at the guy, who'd suddenly stopped talking, furrowed his brow, and turned his back. Guess he didn't want beers, after all. Edward faced me again. "I'll have a beer," he requested, taking out his wallet.

I sighed, defeated. "Alright," I murmured, and went down the bar to the tap.

Alice appeared next to me. "Petal, give this shot of whiskey to Sam, will ya?" she asked, handing me the shot glass full of dark liquor. "He's on break in the pool room."

Momentarily putting Edward's beer on hold, I did as she asked. Sam was playing a game with a group of young guys that looked around my age. They were dark-skinned like he was and extremely tall.

"Thanks, Petal," Sam said as I gave him his whiskey. "These are some of my friends from the rez." He pointed to the guys individually. "Paul and Jared."

Paul's eyes roamed over me as he cued the end of a pool stick. "You're definitely hotter than the last chick," he remarked.

"Cut it out, Paul," Sam snapped. "Don't mind him, Petal. He just hasn't gotten laid since his last girlfriend gave him herpes.

Jared bent over, laughing.

Paul's face fell. "Shut the hell up, man," he whisper-yelled.

I smiled, shaking my head. "I better get back to the bar," I said, and left. But before I could enter the bar again, Alice appeared out of nowhere and grabbed my arm, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"God almighty!" she exclaimed in a breath, looking stunned.

"What is it?" I questioned in concern.

"I just got my head chewed off," she said, and let out a huff.

I felt angry. Why would anyone be rude with Alice? "By who?" I asked, fully prepared to stand up for her.

"By your man over there," she revealed, looking over my shoulder.

I glanced where she was eyeing, seeing Edward sitting in the same spot I left him, staring down at the bar counter. _He_ yelled at Alice? No, that couldn't be. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He busted into the back like he owned the joint and then tore me a new one."

I knew Alice wasn't a liar, but I just found it so hard to believe. Edward did all that? "Why? What for? What did he say?" I asked, firing off questions hastily.

"Hold your horses, will ya? He was ticked about the outfit I put ya in."

That was…odd, because he hadn't seemed all that affected by it. "But why?"

"Why do you think?" she asked, but when I gave her a look of confusion, she sighed. "Sugar, that man's got it bad for ya."

I burst out laughing at the absurdity of her statement. "Alice, are we talking about the same guy here? He practically hates me."

"Just 'cause he ain't fawnin' all over ya like half the men in this place are, don't mean he's not getting it up for ya daily."

"Alice," I gasped, shocked at her crude words.

"It's the truth; otherwise, he wouldn't give two figs 'bout what ya wear. And he certainly wouldn't have kept ya with him this long. Anyhow, just thought you should know." With that, she returned behind the bar, leaving me in my spot.

I was having a hard time processing it all. I mean, I knew that I, myself, was starting to…think of him in a way I hadn't before…but I never thought in my wildest dreams that Edward could ever think of me like that in return. He was always so rigid around me, and half the time, we were just arguing.

I hadn't realized that I'd already made it back into the bar and dispensed beer into a mug. Edward was still staring down at the counter as I approached him and placed his beer in front of him.

"About time," he grumbled, and took a long pull of his drink.

I glared at him and folded my arms in front of me. "So, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I asked bluntly, not able to contain myself.

He returned the glare in spades. "Excuse me?"

"Did you have to go yell at Alice?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He took another pull from his beer. He was so full of it!

"Oh, you don't? So, you didn't go into the back and yell at her for lending me this outfit?"

He suddenly found his beer very interesting. "You're out of your goddamn mind," he muttered.

I pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You promised you wouldn't lie to me ever again," I seethed.

His eyes shot to mine. We merely stared at each other, both of us with hard expressions on our faces. Abruptly, he stood, pulled money out of his wallet, and slammed it down on the counter. He took off quickly, going straight through the exit door.

I knew for certain that I wasn't going to let him get away with this that easily, so I hastily pushed open the back door, but didn't go through.

"Alice, can I take a break?" I asked into the back room.

"Sure thing, hun!" I heard her call out.

I didn't waste a second after that, leaving the building as fast as I could to where I knew he'd be. Edward hadn't left yet as he opened the truck door roughly.

"Hey!" I yelled out, marched over to him, and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around to face me. "We're not finished."

He shrugged my hand off his shoulder. "I am," he growled.

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, I'm not," I stated, and slammed the truck door shut. "I wanna know why me wearing this outfit bothers you so much."

He couldn't even look me in the eye; instead, looking somewhere over my shoulder. "You can wear whatever the hell you want."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You're right. I can. And I will. But for some reason, you don't want me wearing this. So much that you go and yell at Alice, am I right?"

His eyes flashed to mine, and his jaw clenched. "You wanna walk around like the country version of Hooters, be my guest," he insulted.

"Excuse me?" I gasped, offended by his implicating words.

"You think the other bar girl was just serving up drinks? She was running around with all those guys in there. They'll expect the same out of you."

I huffed. "And you think I don't have a brain of my own?"

He quirked an eyebrow, looking as if he thought just that.

Furious! I was _beyond_ furious. "I may not remember things, but I sure as hell can think for myself," I spoke with conviction. "Now, I'm not going to ask you again. What does it matter that I'm wearing this?"

He suddenly backed me into the truck, his hands coming up on either side of me. His face was inches from my own. All I could see was his glowering eyes boring into mine. "You think I don't like seeing you in this?" he seethed, his mint and beer-laced breath fanning across my face. "You think when I leave here, I'm not going to be thinking about you?"

I blinked, dazed by the intensity of his words. "What are you saying?" I managed to whisper.

The hard expression on his face dropped to a much softer look. My heart rate took off, liking how near he was to me, but also scared in vulnerability. He leaned in a fraction, our bodies brushing…our faces now just millimeters apart. I was so sure he'd kiss me, until he suddenly took a large step back and rubbed a hand over his mouth.

"I'll be at the cabin," he said, and opened the truck door.

All I could do was stand there and watch the back of his truck as it grew smaller.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**And thus, he cracks. **


	10. Just Someone You Saved

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the **_**Avada Kedavra**_** to my Voldemort.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TEN<br>*Just Someone You Saved***

I got in around two in the morning, after a draining evening. Edward had left the door open for me, thankfully, so I went in quietly, knowing he was probably asleep on the couch, which he was. Half of me wanted to wake him up, so we could talk things through, but another part of me was just exhausted. And not just from the night I had. _He_ was exhausting.

We'd almost kissed. He'd pulled away. Why? I just wanted him to be as honest with me as I was being with him. Was that too much to ask?

The next day, I awoke sometime in the afternoon, not feeling reenergized at all. Once I'd gone through my morning routine, I finally emerged from the bedroom.

Edward stood at the sink, drinking a glass of water. As soon as he saw me, however, he dumped the liquid down the drain and set the glass in the sink.

"Are we going to talk about last night?" I asked, folding my arms.

"You can. I'm heading out," he replied hastily, and attempted to pass by me.

I grabbed his wrist, and he stopped without a fight. "Why do you act like you hate me?" I questioned, hurt by his constant dismissal of me. "What did I ever do to you? Since the moment I came into your life, you've done nothing but yell and be rude to me. Would you have preferred if I died?"

He spun around to me, anger marring his features. "I wouldn't wish death on anyone," he said. "I saved you because you needed to be saved, but that's it."

"So, to you, I'm just someone you saved. And that's it," I concluded, trying to warrant some sort of genuine response from him.

He swallowed thickly, but his face remained a stony mask. "That's it."

I knew he was lying, after he promised he wouldn't. He broke that promise. "You know what? I can't live like this anymore," I admitted solemnly, shaking my head and looking away. "I just can't." With that, I went back into the bedroom, leaving him standing frozen in his spot. I retrieved the Target bag I'd stored in the closet and began placing my belongings in there—dresses, my book, my toiletries, and the money I'd made from the tavern.

When I went back into the living room, he hadn't moved an inch, staring down at the spot I'd been in.

"I'm leaving," I said, pulled open the front door, and made my way to the path that would lead me to my destination.

I didn't want to leave, but at this point, I had no choice. I couldn't continue to stay with someone who disregarded me at every turn. He had no respect for me. He didn't seem to trust me, either. And the thing was I had both of those things for him. It was unbalanced, and I didn't like it.

"You remind me of her," I heard called out somewhere behind me, causing me to half turn around.

Edward stood on the porch, looking out at me like I'd just ripped his heart in two. He stepped off the porch, walking tentatively toward me, but wound up stopping several feet away.

"You remind me of her," he repeated, more quietly this time. "The way you are with Sadie. The way you like daises; she liked them, too. How awful a cook you are, yet you're always wanting to cook. And…even how you look." He dropped his gaze to the ground. "It all reminds me of her."

He hated his ex-wife, and because he saw a resemblance between us…he forced himself to hate me. In a way, I could sympathize, considering how much the divorce screwed with him, but in another way, his words hurt me beyond reproach.

I closed the distance between us and dropped my bag to the ground. "I'm nothing like your ex-wife, Edward," I said softly. "I could never have done that to you. I would've fought for us, until there was nothing left in me."

He didn't respond, so I took that as my cue and began to turn around. "Don't go," he breathed, and grabbed my arm to stop me. His hand slid down to my wrist, causing goose bumps to erupt.

My heart was beating in a league of its own. "Why not?"

"I can't wake up knowing you won't be here," he admitted.

I shook my head. _No, Edward. That's not what I want to hear._ I knew he liked me being here. His actions in the past proved that. I just wanted him to admit why. "That's not a good enough reason for me to stay," I said, and reached up to his somber face. I held it between my hands, my thumbs brushing over his cheeks. "Tell me why I should stay."

His mouth parted slightly, making me think he was going to say something, but he didn't.

"Edward, tell me," I whispered, and raised myself on the balls of my feet, bringing my face closer to his.

His eyes seemed hypnotized as they seared into mine. I wanted him to lean down and kiss me, to let me know I wasn't the only one feeling something. I was giving him the advantage.

"Tell me how you really feel," I pressed.

He wasn't doing anything but staring at me, his stance rigid, as if I was torturing him. Slowly, my face mirrored my emotions. I was crushed. The sting of rejection hit me full force, and I pulled back, bending to pick up my bag.

"I'm going to Alice's," I said, and began walking away, but then stopped as water collected in my eyes. I couldn't turn around. I didn't want to see if he was looking at me. "And don't you dare come after me this time."

Every step I took further, it grew harder to leave him…but what was worse…what hurt me more than anything…was that he actually let me go.

X-X-X-X

The next several days went slowly, probably because I was so conscious of how much time was passing. Once I'd left the cabin, Alice took me in. She was very hospitable and pretty much treated me like a guest in a hotel…but it wasn't what I wanted.

I knew I'd told Edward not to come after me, but I'd only said that out of frustration and hopelessness. I wanted him to come get me, tell me how he felt, and then we'd go back to normal.

But that didn't happen.

I waited all that first night for him, my eyes glued to the front door of the tavern, yet he never showed. Then I realized that it was a Sunday, not a Friday. If there was any time he'd come, it would be on his chosen day. So, I tried to be patient and look at my situation as a sort of opportunity.

Maybe it was best we had time apart. Maybe I was starting to have feelings for him just because he made me feel safe—sort of like when female comic book characters fell for the superhero. Edward was no superhero, but in many ways, he was my hero.

Even so, perhaps we just weren't compatible together. It was most likely that he'd gone back to his routine and simply forgotten me. I was a burden to him, after all.

In the following days, I grew closer to Alice. She was a fantastic listener and let me spill my guts to her about Edward and me. She told me to hang in there and not to go searching him out, to let him come to me when he was ready.

Jasper warmed up to me much more. If I learned anything about him, it was that he pretty much just liked to run the tavern and play poker. He didn't talk much, and he didn't like being talked to much, either. He and Alice seemed like they bickered all the time, but every now and then, I'd catch sweet moments between them—a brief kiss here, a secret smile there. It made me want what they had.

Since I only worked on the weekends, I didn't have to be in the bar during the week. I took up watching a few poker games whenever they'd happen. The game itself was fascinating. Though I mostly had no idea what was going on, I could tell how skilled Jasper was. By the end of the night, he'd always come out of the game with more money than when he went in.

On a whim, I asked him to teach me some basics about the game, and that was when we started to bond more. Aside from teaching me the rules, which weren't hard to pick up, he also clued me in that the game was more about bluffing than anything. You could have the worst hand, but win the entire pot just by confusing the other players.

I'd gotten the hang of it fairly quickly. Jasper told me I had a flair for it and should try my luck with the locals, so I did. The result was almost comical, since Jasper told me to play up my naivety of the game. Worked like a charm, too. I walked out of there with the amount I would've made in two weeks working the bar. For hours afterward, I finally felt in control of something. Powerful.

Now, today was Friday—the day I'd been anxiously awaiting. While I served up drinks, five minutes wouldn't go by that I didn't check the door.

Was he going to show?

God, I hoped so.

I'd thought maybe the separation would lessen my feelings for him, but that was far from what happened. I missed him. I missed the dogs, too. I hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye to them.

"Don't worry, sugar. He'll come," Alice assured me as she poured two shots of whiskey and gave them to Cheney and Newton.

"Who's coming?" Cheney asked, looking me up and down.

"None ya business, Cheney," Alice scolded. "Now, drink ya whiskey and shut ya mouth." Alice stalked off, leaving me with a smug look.

Newton snorted, and Cheney groaned.

"So, where you from?" Newton asked me conversationally.

"Uh, just around," I answered vaguely.

"Hmm," he hummed in thought, and tossed back his whiskey. "You've got something going on in your accent. I can't place it."

"Sounds Canadian," Cheney remarked.

"No, not Canadian," Newton said. "Sounds southern."

"Southern?" I questioned, giving him an incredulous look. "Alice's is southern."

"No, I mean Southern California," he explained. "My sweetheart is from the south, and you sort of sound like her."

I smiled. "Are you married?"

He nodded proudly. "Going on five years now," he said, taking out his wallet and showing me a picture of an attractive brunette holding an infant. "That's Jessica and my son, Griffin. He'll be six months come next week."

"Aw, he's cute," I cooed.

"Very," Cheney remarked sarcastically.

Newton rolled his eyes, but ignored him. "Anyway, she's from San Bernadino."

"Where's that?" I asked curiously.

He stuffed his wallet back in his pocket. "About an hour out from the city."

"What city?"

"Los Angeles."

"Ah," I said, and pursed my lips in thought. I wondered how far away Los Angeles was from here. I knew San Francisco was just a little ways up, so I was assuming LA was pretty far. I couldn't be from Southern California. I mean, why would I be up here if I was from there?

"So, you got a boyfriend?" Cheney asked me brazenly, interrupting our conversation.

I sighed and crossed my arms. This guy had done nothing but hit up on me since I started working here. "Yep," I lied. "He's big, too. Got piercings and tattoos all over his body." Maybe that'd fend him off.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't forget I played across from you in the game yesterday. You've got an easy tell."

_Damnit, what's my tell?_ "You're saying I'm lying?" I questioned, trying to keep an even face.

He leaned forward a bit to me. "I think you don't got a boyfriend, and you're just a little shy."

I snorted. "I'm not shy."

He smiled devilishly, staring at my chest. "Wanna prove it?"

"Sure," I said enthusiastically, grabbed his shot of whiskey, and tossed the liquid into his face.

He winced, clearly not expecting me to do that. Newton and some of the other guys sitting at the bar burst into laughter. Cheney wiped his dripping face with his hand and glared at me.

"Proof enough for you?" I asked with a smirk.

"Petal!" Alice called from down the other end of the bar, and motioned for me to go to her. She looked mad. Great…

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said as I approached her. "He's been hitting on me for days now, and I got sick of it."

"I know," she replied. "You want him out of here?"

"You're not mad at me?"

Her expression softened. "No, hun," she assured. "He's a real sleaze. I could do without him. Just give me the word and Sam'll take care of him."

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing that Cheney had left. "I don't think he'll bother me anymore."

"Alright, then. But if he does it again, you let me know." She turned her head slightly. "Don't look now, but your man is here," she informed, causing me to attempt turning to look at the door. She quickly grabbed my shoulders to stop me. "I said don't look!"

My pulse was quickening at the thought of seeing Edward after several days. Did he look any different? Would he even want to see me? God, I was nervous. "What's he doing?" I inquired quietly to her.

"He's walkin' to the bar," she replied. "He just took a stool. Pulled out his wallet." She paused. "Jasper's talkin' to him now."

"Why's Jasper talking to him?" I questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Beats me," she said, and cleared her throat, turning away from me. "Jasper's comin' over here. _Shh_, act like ya busy."

All I could do was grab a dishrag when Jasper approached us.

"Masen needs a beer," Jasper spoke pointedly to Alice and me, and then he walked into the back.

"Well, duh," Alice remarked to herself, her eyes narrowed. "Get on that, will ya, sugar? I'm gonna go have a chat with my husband."

I nodded and dispensed beer into a mug, looking out of the corner of my eye at Edward. He wasn't even checking to see where I was.

When I approached him, he regarded me with a blank expression.

"Hey," I greeted softly, and set his beer in front of him.

He nodded at me in acknowledgment and brought the mug up to his mouth.

So, he wasn't going to say anything? After days of not seeing me, this was what I got?

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. He didn't care. Whatever I thought he felt for me wasn't even there. Had I imagined everything? Maybe I'd wanted him to like me, so I convinced myself he did. More than anything, he probably just liked the companionship, but now that it was gone, he wouldn't bother chasing after it. He'd been alone for years, so why change now?

I spun around and went through the back door to get away. I could hear Alice and Jasper arguing in the office.

"Yeah, well, I would've liked to have known!" Alice yelled.

"Alice, keep ya voice down," Jasper ordered.

"You hush up! I ain't no fool, ya hear? Four years, Jasper! You know what? You don't get to sleep in my bed tonight, so you better get comfy in here," she berated, and stomped out of the office. As soon as she saw me, her expression dropped. "Oh…hey, sugar."

"Hey…," I spoke warily. "Everything okay?"

She sighed, frustrated. "Don't even get me started," she muttered. "Anyway, you all good with Masen?"

I frowned and shook my head. "I don't think he wants anything to do with me."

She pouted. "Oh, hun. I don't know what to tell ya. Maybe he just ain't fit to be startin' anythin' new."

My eyes dropped to the floor sadly. "Yeah, I guess."

"Ya know, you're welcome to stay with me as long as ya want to," she assured. "Even until ya eighty years old."

I chuckled, my mood lifting, and wrapped my arms around her. "Thanks, Alice. I'm glad I can count on you."

She hugged back. "No problem, darlin'," she said, and pulled away. "I hate to be a boss, but you should head back out."

I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to ignore Edward as I made my rounds, taking people's meal orders and working the bar. I knew I just needed to suck it up and forget him. He'd helped me get out of a few rough spots, and now it was time to move on. I had to figure out who I was. That should be the most important thing to me, not some guy I barely knew.

At some point, I realized Edward was gone, a ten dollar bill left on the counter where he sat. He'd gone without saying goodbye. I could feel the tears start to come, and I tried with all my might to keep them at bay. I was stronger than that.

"Petal," Alice said, coming to my side as I placed the money into the register. "Why don't you go 'head and take an early break."

"That's okay," I assured. I was due for a break in another hour. I'd last until then.

"I insist." She steered me out of the bar. "Now, go on straight through the exit and don't come back until you've figured everythin' out."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Just go on, sugar," she urged.

I sighed and reluctantly did as she said. The air was cold as I pushed the door open and went outside. I rubbed my arms up and down, trying to make the goose bumps disappear. Instinctively, I looked to the side, where I usually would see the dark green truck parked…and to my surprise, it was there.

And so was Edward.

He was leaning against the front of his truck, his arms crossed as he stared at me.

Fantastic. I shouldn't have listened to Alice.

"Don't mind me. I'm just here on break," I spoke, and looked away, hugging my body protectively.

"I know," he said, causing me to regard him again. His expression was solemn now, just like when I'd walked away from him the last time we saw each other. "I asked Alice if she'd let you have an early one."

I blinked at him. "You did? But…why?"

He pushed off the truck and stood straight. "So we can talk."

I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly through my nose. He seemed to be waiting for me to go over to him, so I did with hesitance, making sure to keep a distance between us.

"About?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice even and not show how nervous I was.

His eyes fell to the ground. "I know I haven't seen you in a few days," he started. "I needed time to think."

I frowned. "You just let me go…like I meant nothing to you," I spoke softly.

He lifted his sorrowful eyes to me. "I'm sorry," he said, and raised his hand to my face. He ran the back of his index finger down my cheek slowly, causing my lips to part. "I'm also sorry I said you reminded me of my ex-wife. In a few ways, you do, but in a lot of ways, you don't. First of all, she never mouthed off to me as much as you do."

I chuckled weakly. "You bring it out of me, I guess," I admitted sheepishly.

A small smile twisted at his lips, before he became serious again. "Second of all, you're stronger than she ever was. Maggie escaped when things got tough for her, but you're still pushing through after everything that's happened to you." He leaned in, his mouth by my ear, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from me. "I want you to know how much I admire you, Petal."

I was taken by his thoughtful words. "Really?" I asked in a whisper.

He pulled back slowly, his cheek rubbing against mine. I could feel how coarse his beard was. "Really," he said, and paused with a sigh. "But I'm also scared."

"Scared?" I asked, surprised. "Why are you scared?"

His eyes searched mine. "You'll remember…and I won't matter."

Those words nearly shattered me. He thought I'd remember my life and leave him? Just like that? His dejected expression told it all, and I now understood why he'd been so apprehensive with me.

I pressed my hands against his hard chest, needing to comfort him with my touch. "Edward, whatever happens…whatever I remember…if there's anything I'm certain of, it's that you matter."

He shook his head, looking away disbelievingly.

I grabbed his face and forced him to look at me again. "Hey, don't do that," I said, impassioned. "You matter over everything in my life, and that won't change."

In his eyes, I could see he was starting to believe me.

"You matter," I whispered, and pushed my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck.

In the cold parking lot, there was no one but us, making this moment feel much more intimate. I could see the resolve on his face. There was a change in him.

His hands came up to my waist, bringing me closer to him. I could hear his breathing even out, as if he was suddenly at ease. He dipped his head down, our noses touching lightly. His breath was on my mouth, causing my eyes to shut of their own accord

The feel of his lips brushing gently against mine in hesitance sent shivers down my spine. He seemed reluctant to make the final move, so I knew it'd have to be me.

My fingers pressed against the back of his neck, bringing his mouth firmly onto mine, and suddenly, Edward was like a man who had discovered water for the first time in a scalding dessert. He groaned lightly in his chest and brought me fully into him, my body molding against his.

Our lips moved slowly, pushing and pulling. His beard was rough on my face, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I was swept up in this kiss, my mind completely blank as my senses overrode everything but Edward. I soaked up the feel of him, the taste of him, the smell of him.

Eventually, the kissing gradually stopped, and our foreheads touched, allowing us to think about what just happened. His hands came up to cradle the sides of my head, and he pecked my lips once more. I'd never felt more treasured.

He gazed deeply into my eyes. "Come home," he whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Hope you enjoyed. Harry Potter mania has begun, and I've already planned to go see the final film like 80 times with different people, so I won't be updating next week. Hopefully, by the following Tuesday, I'll be less of a nerd. **

**In the mean time, read some stories I've enjoyed recently:**

**_The Roommate _by MandyLeigh87 - BxE are exes and become roommates. The story isn't complicated, in my opinion, and you'll laugh at how much of a regular, chill guy Edward is. **

**_Firefly in Summer _by primarycolors - Great romantic buildup and interesting plot twist that'll have your jaw dropping. As long as you put your faith in the author, you'll like it as much as I do.  
><strong>


	11. Treat You Nice

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is DiamondHeart78, who is filling in for MichelleMMarie while she gets married.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ELEVEN<br>*Treat You Nice***

"You sure you'll be okay?" Alice asked as she slowed the car to a stop outside the cabin.

"I'll be more than okay," I replied, unbuckling my seatbelt.

When Edward had asked me to come home last night, I said yes, of course. I wanted to be with him again. And now that something had fundamentally shifted between us…romantically…I wanted to be here even more.

She chuckled. "Well, alright, then," she said, and pulled me into a hug. "You know where to find me."

I got out of the car and waved to her as she drove off, leaving me standing in front of the porch. With a happy sigh, I approached the door. Although I debated with myself whether to knock, I still went ahead and turned the knob. To my surprise, it was unlocked, which made me smile. He was expecting me.

My eyes scanned the empty living room and landed on the kitchen table, where a few daisies were perched in a glass of water. I smiled to myself and walked to it. They'd been freshly picked, the delicate aroma still emanating from them. My fingers ghosted over the petals, feeling like all this was just a dream.

A floorboard creaked somewhere behind me, and I momentarily closed my eyes in contentment. He was there; I knew he was. I didn't turn around, feeling oddly comfortable that he was most likely staring at me.

"Are you trying to get in my good graces?" I asked playfully.

Footsteps came toward me, and suddenly, two arms wrapped around the middle of my stomach. I could feel his scratchy beard on my ear, causing me to sink back into him. His musky scent made me tingle.

"And treat you nice," he replied, his minty, warm breath fanning across my cheek.

I smiled heartily. "Don't treat me _too_ nice. I like a little friction." I turned in his arms and drank him in. His hair was wet, and he looked a little tired, but goodness…he was an attractive man. I wondered briefly if he knew. Or cared. Probably not.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, most likely in amusement at my roaming eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and molded my body against his. Those serious eyes of his bore into me, reeling me in. He bent his head, and our lips met gently.

The kiss was slow and sweet, taking our time in this precious moment. My fingers rubbed against the prickly hairs on his jaw, while his arms wrapped tighter around me, hugging me to him. He nipped at my bottom lip, taking it into his mouth and sending an arousing shockwave throughout my body.

God, this was all so new and exciting. It made me wonder if I'd ever had this before. I stopped my mouth's movements, my thoughts suddenly running away with me. What if I had that now, with someone else, and I didn't even know it?

Edward pulled back, no doubt wondering why I stopped kissing him. "You okay?" he questioned, a crease lining his forehead.

I nodded with a weak smile. "Yeah, just a little overwhelmed," I embellished, not wanting him to know my worries. I just needed to focus on him for now. He was my current life, and whatever things I'd remember from my other life, I would handle when the time came.

A little nudge at my ankle caused me to look down. I was surprised to see not only Sadie, but Tucker, too. I was happy to see both of them. They'd become an important part of my life, along with their owner.

"Hey, Sadie," I greeted, and squatted down to scratch her head. However, before I could pet her, Tucker stepped in the way, brazenly commandeering my attention. I was taken aback at this change, considering most of the time, he wanted to bite my limbs off. Slowly, I brought my hand to his back and pet his fur for the first time. "Oh my God…he's letting me pet him."

"Guess he missed you, too," Edward said, causing a goofy smile to erupt on my face. He held out his hand to me, and I took it, allowing him to help me stand up straight. "Hungry?"

"I had breakfast with Alice and Jasper, so I'm okay."

He scratched the back of his neck, looking uncharacteristically insecure. "Did you like it with them?"

"They're a nice couple, and the tavern is attached to their house, so it was convenient going to work," I answered, and noted his sudden silence. Though I did like staying with Alice, I much preferred being with Edward, and I gathered I needed to assure him of that. My arms found their way around his neck. "But I missed you every day."

He offered no smile; however, there was an added brightness to his eyes that showed me I'd made a difference with my words. "Did you have any problems?" he asked.

"What sort of problems?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "The kind of problems I warned you about."

"Oh," I uttered. "Well, I did have a couple guys try to make moves, but they got the message once I told them to back off."

He let out a subdued sigh. "Right."

"Most of them are nice, so don't worry."

"As long as you're working there, I'll worry," he admitted, his hands lazily caressing my lower back.

There was a scratching at the front door and a whimper, which both came from Tucker. It was like he was trying to claw his way out of the cabin.

"Alright, alright. I hear you," Edward grumbled, extracting his arms from around me and going to the door. As soon as he opened it, Tucker bolted out, followed by Sadie. Edward grabbed his shotgun and regarded me almost shyly. "Do you want to come?"

A small smile crept across my lips.

The dogs were never too far ahead as Edward and I walked through the woods side by side. I lost track of the amount of times he looked sideways at me. I was sure he would've run into a tree with how distracted he seemed by my presence. I paid little attention to him as my thoughts waged a war.

I wondered what I was to him—what we were to each other. I couldn't really classify him as a lover, nor could I label him as a boyfriend, since the term seemed so trivial. And he definitely wasn't a friend, considering he was much more than that to me. More than anything, he felt like a companion—a romantic companion. Was that describing him accurately? What did he think of me as?

He stopped in the middle of a small clearing and reached in his pocket, pulling out two bright yellow ear plugs. "Brought these for you," he said, and offered them to me. "If you're not used to the noise, it can be hard on your hearing."

I secured them in my ears and watched as he removed three shotgun shells from the leg pocket of his cargo pants. He inserted the ammo expertly and aimed the weapon somewhere near the tops of the trees, concentrating hard. He hadn't fired a shot yet, appearing to be sussing things out.

Suddenly, his arm came out, and he swiftly moved me back a bit. He fired a deafening shot that rang through my ears. The ear plugs hadn't blocked out the sound, more than just muffled it a bit.

Nothing happened. That is, I didn't think he actually shot anything, or had missed. Edward's pink lips were suddenly moving. I stared at them in a daze before I realized he'd spoken to me.

"What?" I asked loudly, my voice sounding far away.

He pulled one of my earplugs out, a hint of a smile on his face. "Do you want to give it a go?" he repeated, but it didn't really seem like he was asking.

My eyes went wide, and I shook my head fervently. "No, uh…no," I replied nervously. Me…with a gun. That was a definite mistake. I'd probably hurt someone…namely myself.

"Don't be scared of it," he said, and positioned my hands in the appropriate spots on the shotgun. I let him, liking the feel of his rough hands on me. "This is a 12-gauge. Very powerful. Good for hunting. Tighten your grip, Petal."

I did as he said, holding onto the shotgun more firmly.

He rested the end of this massive thing against the front of my shoulder. "Legs apart," he ordered, and so I did.

"I think you enjoy bossing me around."

He glanced at my face only briefly before going back to observing my stance. I was pretty sure I looked ridiculous. "This is serious," he spoke sternly.

"Yes, very serious," I teased, and noticed he hadn't cracked a smile. "Why am I being schooled?"

"It's important to know how to shoot." His eyes found mine. "I just want you to be prepared."

"For what?"

"Just in case, for some reason, I'm not around and something happens."

My brow wrinkled. "No one even comes to this part of the woods."

He looked away. "You don't know that."

What did that mean?

"Look," he continued before I could speak, "just do this, okay? It'll put my mind at ease." His eyes were looking directly into mine, showing the importance of this lesson. "Alright?"

I nodded silently.

"Tighten your grip again," he ordered.

I hadn't realized my hands had gone slack. "Now what?"

He went through and gave me a rundown of what everything was, how to use it all, and the correct technique to loading a gun. I was super glad for the existence of a safety. I'd be using that a lot.

I had trouble simply holding the shotgun. It was heavy, as well as awkward to handle. To someone like Edward, however, it was practically made for him. He was much taller than me and more built, so it was most likely nothing for him to carry.

At some stage, he had confidence enough in me to test out shooting. My very first shot was an experience. The gun was so powerful, I was knocked back a good few steps, but God…it was exhilarating. My second shot, I knew what to expect, so the turnout was much better.

Edward stood right by me, guiding me, instructing me. It impressed me how much he knew about shooting. I couldn't deny…I was a little turned on by it. Maybe not just a little.

"We'll do some target practice tomorrow," he said as we made our way back to the cabin.

"I'm not shooting any animals. You can forget about that," I voiced haughtily. I would never stop him from shooting innocent wildlife, but I certainly wouldn't participate in it.

"I never said you'd shoot animals. But just so you know, I don't hunt just for the thrill of it. When I worked, I ruined a lot of people's lives. I treated my employees like crap if they didn't do things the way I wanted, and I see that now. When I left, I needed some way to show myself I wasn't a bad person. I guess hunting is my way of giving back. I don't just donate what I shoot. I give the food bank perishables, produce, whatever I can get. I try to put my money to good use when I can, since it's just sitting around, gathering dust."

"I'm sorry," I said remorsefully. "I didn't realize that's why you did it.

He stole a glance at me. "It's fine. Anyway, I've got some stuff below the house we can use as a target."

"There's a _below_ the house?" I inquired, surprised. Though, I did notice a sloping latch door around the side of the cabin. "What's down there?"

"Just extra stuff I don't need from when I moved here. I've been meaning to get rid of most of it," he said, and stopped to let me step onto the porch ahead of him. "Do me a favor and don't use the gun without me around."

"I thought the entire point of the lesson was to teach me to use it just in case you weren't around."

"That's only for an emergency," he replied. "But don't try anything bold if I'm nearby. Got it?"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think I'm going to do—take it, gallop into the woods, and shoot at everything in sight?"

He sighed and opened the door. "Don't mouth at me."

"I'm not!" I exclaimed, walking in ahead of him. "I promise not to touch your shotgun unless it's an absolute emergency."

After closing the door, he hung up the gun. "Good."

I rested on the couch as I watched him stack wood into the fireplace. "So, when am I getting a lesson on how to clean it?"

"You don't need to know that."

"But I'd like to."

"It's a big process and too much to explain."

"Yes, and you have _no time at all_ to teach me," I spoke sarcastically.

He shot me a glare over his shoulder and went back to stacking wood. "I'm the only one that cleans my gun."

"You and your rules," I muttered. "I'd be good at it, you know."

"Just like you are at cooking?"

My eyes seared into the back of his head. "Hey, I'm a good cook."

He snorted.

"You ate what I made last week," I brought up. He was such a liar. I saw him eat every bit of that omelet.

He shrugged. "I didn't want to offend you."

"Oh, come on," I said, and distinctly heard a small chuckle from him, which made me laugh. "You're a jerk. My cooking isn't that bad."

We continued bickering for a good while. But that was us.

Us. I liked the sound of that.

X-X-X-X

"You're going to let me drive the truck?"

"Yep."

"Where's Edward and what have you done with him?" I inquired in shock as I stared at the truck keys he was holding out to me. It was time to go to work, and I was just going to walk, but he had other ideas.

"Do you want them or not?"

_Uh, yes, please._ But before I could grab them, he pulled back his hand, keeping the keys out of reach.

"You know how to drive, right?" he asked suspiciously.

I groaned. "Yes, of course I do. Gas is on the right and brake is on the left."

"Hmm," he hummed in thought, and folded his arms across his chest. "How do you know that?"

"Edward, c_ome on_," I whined. "I'm going to be late." I really didn't have time for figuring out why I knew things I knew. "Fine. I'll just walk." I took only two steps toward the door when I was pulled back by the arm.

"Not so fast," he said, and his warm lips were suddenly pressed firmly against mine.

I inhaled through my nose, taken by surprise, and closed my eyes. Unfortunately, since I'd gotten back, we hadn't taken up marathon kissing. It was still so new, and I was hesitant about taking the initiative. He certainly didn't seem hesitant now, though.

He pecked my lips a couple times, lingering on the last one, before pulling back slightly and leaving me in a tizzy.

"Wow," I breathed, staring into his striking eyes. "What was I doing before?"

His line of sight flittered down to my lips. "This," he spoke softly, and brought his mouth to mine again. How could he do that and make me forget everything? Did he forget everything, too, or was it just me? It probably was just me.

Our mouths moved sensually against each other's. This was a different sort of kiss to the one before. While the first caught me off guard, this one turned me to jelly. It made my body hum and throb in all the right places.

I pulled back, reluctantly detaching my lips. "Seriously, what was I doing?"

The intensity of how he was gazing at me had my breaths coming out short. Cold, metal keys were suddenly placed in my palm.

"Is Alice a strict boss?" he inquired.

"No, why?"

He leaned into my ear and whispered, "'Cause you're late."

My eyes went wide. "Crap!" I made a dash for the door, throwing a quick goodbye to Sadie and Tucker over my shoulder. Once I pulled open the door, I stopped and looked back at Edward, who had a smug look on his face. "Don't sleep on the couch tonight."

That quickly erased his cocky expression.

And I was gone.

X-X-X-X

"That's a good spot, right"? Alice asked me.

"Looks good to me," I answered.

Alice had bought Mike Newton's old television set, since he'd been promoted at his job and decided to upgrade his entertainment system. She chose to put it on the back counter in the bar area so the guys could watch sports.

"You think they'll be able to see?" I questioned. "The TV's kinda small."

"As long as they got somethin' to stare at, they're fine," she replied, and picked up the remote. "Alright. I'm gonna put some new batteries in here. Why don't you plug it in and see if the reception's any good."

She disappeared into the back, while I plugged the cord into the socket. I turned on the TV manually and flipped through the slightly fuzzy channels. I randomly stopped on one that had a commercial for Alberstons Grocery Store.

Within ten seconds, the commercial finished and was replaced with an attractive African-American woman sitting at a news desk.

"_Good evening,"_ the anchorwoman started with a serious expression. _"The search for the heiress of Cullen International Hotels continues on."_

A still-photograph materialized of a sophisticatedly dressed brunette with a bright but guarded smile. I gasped loudly and took a step back in shock.

That was me.

"_Business mogul, Carlisle Cullen" _-a light haired, middle-aged man speaking to reporters appeared in place of the photograph, standing next to a stone-faced blonde beauty— _"and father of Isabella, spoke this afternoon with our team about a potential lead through a private search party he's funding. Also, his other daughter, Rosalie McCarty, finally spoke out about how her sister's disappearance has affected her. All that and more at the top of the hour, here, on Eyewitness News." _

I blinked a few times before I could think properly. Isabella. That was my real name. I was on the news. An heiress. Me. A picture of myself, that I never remembered taking, had aired on a news broadcast for everyone to see.

And that man...I'd gained a memory not too long ago with him in it. _He _was my_ father_? He was looking for me and was funding a private search party. I didn't even know the guy.

The woman next to him was apparently my sister, though I knew I'd never seen her in my life. I swallowed thickly, realizing I remembered something new. A moment that didn't seem too long ago. She'd come to see me for whatever reason and spoke words that had left an impression.

_Clear, blue eyes pierced into me, swirling with anger and hate. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy, loose bun. "One day, karma's going to kick you in the ass, and I only wish I can be the one to serve it up to you nice and fresh," she seethed venomously._

Sister or no, those weren't words of someone who liked me. Her words terrified me for some reason. And I had a feeling they scared me when she'd said them, as well.

"Petal, you got it workin'?" I heard Alice call out from the back, jarring me out of my thoughts.

Feeling as if I was about to be caught red-handed, I quickly shut off the TV and frantically searched for something, anything, to make sure she didn't see what I saw. A flash of silver caught my eye, and I did something so calculating that I wasn't sure who I was at that moment.

Alice came back into the bar. "Finally found some batteries," she said, and pointed the remote controller at the television. She pressed the power button several times then frowned. "Don't tell me this ain't workin'." The manual power button on the TV didn't work for her, either. "Ya kiddin' me. Come on!"

"Maybe it's broken," I offered, scratching the back of my neck in a poor attempt at hiding my guilt.

"I thought you said it worked."

"I never said that."

"But I heard a woman's voice and music."

I shrugged, not knowing how to answer her without offering an unrealistic lie.

Her brow furrowed for a moment before she set down the remote. "Guess there's no TV tonight. I'll get Newton to bring his bamboozlin' self in here tomorrow mornin' so he can fix this piece of junk," she grumbled.

Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing she didn't know what I knew. Soon, my mind would be occupied, but I knew later, nothing would be able to keep me from facing my true identity.

X-X-X-X

It was close to two in the morning when I slipped inside the cabin, exhausted from my busy night. The lights in the house were off, but even in the dark, I could see that Edward wasn't on the couch…which meant he'd done what I'd requested of him earlier.

The bedroom door was wide open, allowing me to enter the room undetected. He was asleep, his body resting on the left side of the bed. I watched him for a few minutes, listening to his heavy breaths, marveling at his serene face. In his slumber, there was nothing bothering him, and I felt envious of him for that, because right now, it was as if I was going to explode.

It didn't take long to shed my clothes and put on my pajamas. I tiptoed around the dogs that were sleeping on the ground by the foot of the bed. As I sunk into the mattress next to Edward, my erratic brain replayed the memories I'd gained back. There weren't many, but they were enough.

I had a family—a sister and a father. A sister who hated my guts, and a father who was looking for me. I was living this whole other life, while people were out there searching for me. And the thing was…a small part of me didn't want them to find me.

Edward suddenly flipped over and moved closer to where I lay. I froze, unsure if he was awake, seeing as his eyes were still closed.

"You're back," he mumbled, resting his head on my pillow. A heavy arm circled around me, pulling me into warmth. Our faces were nearly touching, and I could feel his breath on my mouth. "Missed you."

I closed my eyes briefly, relishing in being wanted by him. "I missed you, too," I replied, sighing contentedly. God, I missed him so much. I'd needed the comfort of his arms all day. "Did you have a good night?"

"Lousy," he muttered sleepily, his hand rubbing my back in slow circles. "Could only think of you."

I snorted softly. "Thinking of me was lousy?"

"Mmm," he groaned, "you know what I mean."

I smiled. "No, I don't. Care to enlighten me?"

"I care to sleep. Goodnight, Petal."

I rubbed my hand over his cheek once before tucking it in between our chests. "I'll see you tomorrow," I whispered.

He had the tiniest smile as he fell asleep again. He was happy. I made him happy.

I'd lied to myself when I'd come to the conclusion that a small part of me didn't want my family to find me. In reality, it was _all_ of me. Whatever life I had before was over.

Staring into Edward's face, I knew he was my life now. Sadie and Tucker were my life now. This cabin, these woods, the tavern—they were all my life now. Isabella was no more. I was Petal. That was the way I was going to keep it. And I would get my way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**It's been nearly 3 weeks since Petal was found by Edward, just in case you were wondering.  
><strong>


	12. You Don't Belong Here

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie, who is now a married woman! She looked booty-ful, too.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER TWELVE<br>*You Don't Belong Here***

Isabella…

…Isabella…

Isabella.

I stared at the printed words on the page in front of me, but all I could seem to see was _Isabella_, over and over again.

Edward shifted slightly under me, pulling my attention to him. I was laying on top of him, on the couch, my head against his chest, while we both read our books. I suddenly became very aware of the position we were in, our bodies pressed together, heat against heat.

Before I knew it, I'd set my forgotten book on the ground and scooted up his body so my head was nursed in the crook of his neck. His attention not deterred from his reading, he merely combed his fingers through my hair languidly.

He'd read that thing a million times. Couldn't he give me some attention? Taking matters into my own hands, I slowly extracted the book from his hold.

"What are you doing?" he asked, amusement in his tone.

"Nothing," I replied innocently, slammed the book shut, and set it on the ground next to mine.

"I remember this one time, when I was scolded by a beautiful, head-strong girl for lying to her."

I grinned. "You think I'm beautiful?"

He chuckled and pushed my hair behind my ear. "If I say yes, will you use it against me?"

I sat up and straddled his lap, right where I had the sudden desire to be. "Who says I'm not already?" I asked brazenly.

His playful mood vanished, replaced by a slightly fearful expression.

I'd taken him aback, which had me feeling insecure of my intention. "Is this okay?" I questioned.

"Yes," he spoke quietly, refusing to tear his eyes away from me.

With permission granted, and my confidence boosted again, I bent down so our faces were an inch apart. "The reason I took your precious book away is because I want all your attention on me." I pressed my lips to his only briefly, teasing him, making him want more.

"You've got that," he assured hoarsely.

I granted him another chaste kiss. "Do I?" I egged, and was about to kiss the corner of his mouth, when his lips captured mine passionately. My fingers grasped onto his neckline, holding him to me. His hands went to my back, feeling me, making sure I didn't go anywhere.

This was the first time we'd been like this—so consumed by each other. Most of our other kisses were hesitant, shy, or tame in comparison. This, however, made my heart pound and my head spin.

When his hands roamed down the curve of my butt, I realized just how different this kiss was. It was oozing sex. My mind instantly calculated how far we'd go. Who would stop first? Who _wouldn't_ stop first?

His mouth opened, causing mine to follow his lead. Our tongues found each other's in an instant. His fingers clawed into the flesh of my backside, pushing me further down on his lap. And that was when I felt _it_. Lord.

Flushed, I pulled back minutely to catch my breath. His mouth went directly to my neck, trailing his hot tongue over my skin. I released a mixture between a whimper and a sigh, overwhelmed by his attention. Well, I'd said I wanted it, and I got it.

A knock on the front door caused us to both freeze. Sadie and Tucker barked loudly.

"Who the goddamn hell is that?" Edward asked grouchily.

I pulled back so he could get up, my breaths now stabilizing.

He rose off the couch with a grunt and pulled the door open roughly. "Go away," he barked at whoever our visitor was, and slammed the door forcefully.

"Edward!" I reprimanded as he stalked back to me and plopped down on the couch. "Who was that?"

He immediately went back to kissing my neck, like nothing had ever happened.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head at the sensation of his tongue circling below my ear, his beard tickling me yet making me shiver in pleasure. "Edward, you…" I breathed, my voice trailing when his hands found my thighs, just under the hem of my dress. His fingers were so close to—

"Open the dang door!" a woman yelled outside the cabin.

I jarred back with a gasp. That was Alice. What was she doing here?

"Don't make me break in, 'cause I will," she threatened.

With that, I removed myself from Edward's tight grip and launched off the couch to the door. When I opened it, Alice was glaring at me with her hands on her hips. She was angry. Great.

"I'd like a word, _if ya don't mind_," she spoke forcefully, and turned on her heel, moving off the porch.

I looked back at Edward, who was still on the couch.

"Want me to get rid of her?" he asked, still aggravated.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll just be a minute. Stay _here_," I ordered, to which he huffed and lay down on the couch dramatically.

Alice had her arms crossed as I neared her. Her disgruntled mood hadn't changed. Edward tended to have that effect on people.

"I'm sorry, Alice. You know how he is," I apologized.

"Like I give to figs 'bout that," she said, earning a confused look from me. "When were you gonna tell me, huh?"

"Tell you what?"

"About what you saw on the news, _Isabella_."

I gasped and stole a quick glance over my shoulder to see if Edward might've heard and come out. Thank God he hadn't. Grabbing Alice's arm, I hauled her a sizeable distance from the cabin.

"Nice try snippin' the cord, by the way," she spoke once I'd stopped. "How long have you known, anyhow?"

I ran a hand over the top of my head, feeling stressed that I'd been found out. "Only since yesterday," I replied.

Her eyebrows pinched together. "And ya still here?"

I didn't respond, choosing to turn my head away instead.

"Hun, there are people looking for ya," she spoke, "people that know ya. Family. You have a life. A darn good one, by the looks of it. Why in God's creation are ya still here?"

I couldn't tell her. I didn't want to be judged.

She was still waiting for my reply. "I'll take ya to the police station right now if ya get ya things together. I should've done it long ago."

"No!" I exclaimed in a burst of energy, surprising her. "Alice, I—no, I can't. I don't want to."

She looked at me as if I'd taken crazy pills. "What are ya talkin' 'bout?"

I sighed heavily, knowing I had no choice but to tell her. If there was anyone that would understand, it'd be her. "Edward—" Before I could even finish my sentence, she'd interrupted.

"This is 'bout _him_?" There was such blasphemy in her voice.

I frowned. "He's afraid I'm going to leave him. I can't do that."

She shook her head. "That ain't ya problem. That's his."

Frustration started to take over me. "I don't want to go anywhere," I spoke with gumption. "I like it here. I like being with him. I like seeing you all the time. I'm not leaving."

An earnest look crossed her features. "There's no doubt he'll be upset, and so will I, because I love havin' ya 'round. But, Isabella—"

"Don't call me that," I fired angrily. That wasn't my name, and she knew it!

She wasn't fazed by my caprice. "You don't belong here, darlin'. And I think a part of ya knows that."

Her words were like a chainsaw slicing right through me. They hurt. But she was wrong. Very, very wrong. "I do belong here, Alice," I tried to speak evenly. "You're wasting your time." With that, I took steps back to the cabin, back to him.

"Now, hold up," she called, causing me to stop. She came back to me. "I might not agree with what ya doing—" she sighed "—but I ain't gonna stop ya, either. If ya determined to stay, then fine."

"I'm determined," I replied.

"But let me tell ya somethin'," she continued. "Them guys that come to the tavern may not watch the news much, if at all, but someone, somewhere, is gon' recognize ya. What then?"

I shrugged. "I'll lay low."

"Ya already laying low, Petal. How much lower can ya get?"

"I don't know, okay? I haven't really thought it through, but I'll figure it out when the time comes."

She shook her head. "That's the thing. Ya not thinkin' this through."

I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated. She was supposed to be my friend, not a scolding mother!

"Alright, alright," she relented. "I won't bring it up again. Go get changed, and I'll meet ya back out here in five."

I felt like a deflated balloon as I went back into the cabin.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked me. He'd moved from the couch and was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah," I replied, and opened my mouth again to say something else, but realized I had nothing to say, so I shook my head and walked to the bedroom, making sure to shut the door so I could have some privacy with my racing thoughts.

As I changed, all I could think about were Alice's words. Would someone recognize me? What could I do to prevent that? Maybe it was just a lost cause. A part of me wanted to know why I was so hell-bent on staying away from my real life. I knew Edward was a large part of it, but it just felt like there was something else.

When I left the bedroom, Edward wasn't in the house. The front door was open slightly, and I could hear hushed arguing, which grew louder as I opened it more.

"Ya ain't told her yet?" Alice asked Edward angrily. "What on earth is the matter with ya?"

"If you tell her, I swear…," he spoke in a low tone.

"Don't you threaten me, Masen," she shot back.

"Then don't—"

"Hey, sugar!" Alice called cheerily to me, finally noticing I was here. Edward quickly spun around, his eyes blank. "Ready to hit the road?"

"Ready," I responded, staring only at Edward to try to figure out what was going on, but he gave me no leeway.

"Well, then, hup-two. My husband will be wonderin' where I ran off to." She went to her car and stood by the door as I approached Edward.

"What was that about?" I questioned.

He shook his head casually. "It's nothing bad or anything that involves you," he assured.

My brow wrinkled. "Okay…" I decided to drop the subject for now. "I'll see you later?"

He leaned down and placed his lips on mine, slowly kissing me goodbye. His fingers gently raked down the back of my hand that was at my side and took hold of it. "You can count on it," he said as he pulled back and brought my knuckles up to his mouth to press a soft kiss.

I felt like I was on a cloud when I floated over to Alice.

"Well, it's 'bout time," she said with a small giggle. And just like that, everything was back to normal.

X-X-X-X

"What were you and Edward arguing about earlier?" I asked Alice.

We were sitting at the bar, folding napkins together.

"He'll have a fit if I tell ya," she said.

"I can handle him," I assured confidently.

She set the napkins aside and turned on her stool to me "I only just found this out myself," she started. "Turns out, Jasper and I don't own this joint. Someone else does. I leave the business matters to my husband, but was pissed as all hell when I found out he'd kept that from—"

"Alice," I interrupted hastily, "are you implying that Edward _owns _this place?"

"Yeah."

I blinked a few times, my brain coming to terms with this information. "He owns the Redwood Tavern?'

"Yes, hun."

"But…," I began in confusion, "he told me he sold off his business, including the coffee dive his father started." My thoughts put two and two together, realizing _this_ was the coffee dive at one point. How had I not seen?

"Well, we rent the space from him, but he still owns it."

"Why would he keep this from me?" I asked myself out loud. There was nothing to be ashamed of, if that was the issue. I was actually glad he'd sort of kept a part of his past—the good part.

"Lord knows, I told him he needed to tell ya, but he ain't budgin'."

"Does anyone else know?" I asked.

"Just Jasper," she responded. "And I'd also suspect a few of the older gentlemen that have been comin' here a while, since before the changeover, but no one talks 'bout it."

"Why not?"

"Because that's how Masen wants it. For whatever reason, he don't like no one knowin' 'bout him, and people 'round here get that, so they leave him alone. Plus, he got a bit of a reputation."

"What kind of reputation?" I questioned curiously.

She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "They say a couple locals wandered 'round his house. They got too close, so Masen shot one of them in the arm, yellin' for them to get off his property."

"Oh, Alice," I said in a sigh. "That can't be true. He wouldn't shoot anyone. Threaten them, yes, but not shoot them." If there was one thing I'd learned about him, it was that he was a lot of show. Who he was deep down was completely different to the type of person he exuded on the outside.

She shrugged. "That's just what they say. And because of it, no one bothers him."

I propped my elbow on the bar counter, resting the side of my head against my fist. "I can't believe he didn't tell me," I mused. Just when I thought he was being open and honest with me, something else comes along to jeopardize that trust. The question was, now, would I bring it up to him or just let it be?

"Oh! Look at the time!" Alice exclaimed excitedly, jumping off the stool and making her way into the bar. She wasted no time in turning on the television.

"What are you doing?" I questioned nervously. I didn't want that thing on. Not since what I'd found out about myself.

She flicked through the channels. "I've got a show comin' on at six I need to watch." She stopped when she hit a news program.

Oh no.

"Alice," I groaned, my head falling into my hands.

"Just stay quiet and watch, okay?"

"I don't want to watch that. I don't care about any of it," I spoke in a huff. However, I couldn't help myself as I stole a quick glance at the television and swiftly looked away. There was just a story about a local robbery caught on surveillance.

"Well, ya still on the clock, which means ya getting paid. Not a bad exchange, if ya ask me," she reasoned. "Plus, I'm ya boss, and ya gotta do what I say, anyhow."

"_We interrupt this story to go to Shiela in Los Angeles, where I'm told Liam White is coming out of Cullen International momentarily,"_ the anchorwoman spoke_. "Shiela, you there?" _

"_Yes, Cassidy,"_ Shiela, the reporter, replied. _"I'm here, outside of Cullen International Headquarters, in Los Angeles. At any moment, Liam White will be exiting the building. Now, he's the only one close to Isabella that hasn't spoken to the media yet, so we're hoping to get lucky." _

The camera panned over to the front doors of the large, black building, where a middle-aged woman emerged with a young, attractive, sandy-brown haired man that looked to be in his late twenties.

"_There he is,"_ Shiela spoke off-camera as she quickly followed several other reporters to the two people. _"Liam! How have you been handling these past few weeks?"_ She was having a hard time of keeping up with him and the woman he was with.

Liam suddenly stopped and stared directly into the camera, his blue eyes capturing his emotion. _"Awfully,"_ he spoke sadly. There seemed to be so much pain inside him that he was trying to mask.

"_Mr. White, we don't have time,"_ his female companion spoke to him.

He held up a hand, silencing her. _"It's fine,"_ he responded.

"_Liam, what of the accusations that Isabella's father was involved in her disappearance,"_ another reporter brought up.

His expression suddenly turned angry. _"Mr. Cullen loves her. He would never wish her away,"_ he spoke urgently. _"Instead of wasting time throwing these questions at me, why don't you put in the same amount of effort in finding her?"_ With that, he walked away.

"_Liam!"_ Shiela shouted, along with other reporters, trying to gain his attention again. She turned to the camera. _"Well, there you have it. It's clear to see just how upset he is by this whole ordeal and desperately wants Isabella home safely, like the rest of us. Back to you, Cassidy." _

The image flicked back to the newsroom. _"For those just tuning in, that was Liam White, Isabella Cullen-White's husband and long time family friend…" _

I tuned the rest out, my mind only focusing on the last few words uttered—"Isabella Cullen-White's husband."

"Oh my Lord," I heard Alice gasp next to me, as my breaths came out in short spurts.

Tell me this was just a dream.

I was suddenly aware of Alice looking closely at my left hand.

My raging thoughts took over again, and all I could do was stare at the now switched off television screen. Why me? Why did all this have to happen to me? What did I ever do to God to put me in this sort of situation?

"Sugar," Alice said, shaking me back to reality, "are you okay?"

No, I wasn't okay.

I was married.

X-X-X-X

Standing at the side of the bed, I simply stared at his sleeping form. He looked so serene. I probably watched him thoughtlessly for a good five minutes before I pulled back the covers and slipped in quietly.

Almost as soon as I got somewhat comfortable, his arm scooped right between my back and the mattress. He rolled me into his side, and my head automatically rested against his shoulder. No words passed between us; just a sleepy sigh from him.

My body tensed as my thoughts began to barrage me again, just like they had all night. With eyes wide open, I listened to his steady breaths and my shaky ones. I realized then that there was no way I could sleep well tonight, so I maneuvered myself out of Edward's arm hooked around me.

I felt guilty leaving the bedroom, because if he knew why I wasn't asleep next to him, he'd…Well, I wasn't sure how he'd react. Would he be mad? Sad?

The couch cushions were cold as I sank down on them. My head rested against the arm, and I focused my eyes on the dark fireplace, getting lost in my head.

Married.

A husband.

Liam White.

I wanted it to be a dream. I wanted to be able to say there was no husband, no marriage. No Liam White. There was just myself and Edward.

At first, I wanted to believe that I was perhaps divorced, due to my lack of a wedding ring, but the news had been specific in stating that I was his wife. They would've said ex-wife, otherwise, right? And deep down, it felt true. My gut seemed to recognize him, but not my head. As far as my heart went…that was with another—the man who was currently in my bed, certain that I was in his arms.

If this Liam guy was so important to me, then why did he feel like such a stranger? Carlisle Cullen and Rosalie McCarty felt more familiar to me than him. Maybe it was because I didn't want him to feel familiar to me. I didn't want him—period. I didn't even know him. I couldn't want someone I didn't know.

All through the night, my thoughts remained just as busy. I slept on and off, my active mind needing to really over think this predicament.

At some point in the early morning, I managed to finally stay asleep, until I was awoken by the feel of claws on my skin. My eyes opened to find Sadie standing on her hind legs, scratching at my arm to get my attention.

"Alright, coming," I told her groggily, knowing full well what she was requesting of me.

I let her outside, keeping the door open so she could come back whenever she wanted. By the looks of the sky, it seemed to be around six in the morning, so I decided to make breakfast. Omelets had now become my specialty. In other words, it was the only thing I knew how to properly make that didn't involve Edward gagging.

The omelet finished cooking just as the bedroom door creaked open. For some reason, I couldn't turn around and greet him. I couldn't even look at him. So, I silently continued my breakfast preparations.

I heard a chair grate across the floorboards briefly. He hadn't said anything. I hadn't said anything. What on earth could I possibly say? I was pretty sure "Good morning, Edward. I'm married. Enjoy your omelet" wouldn't go over too well with him.

Finally turning around, I kept my eyes on the breakfast plates as I placed an omelet in front of him and another across from him. I sat and immediately tucked in, needing something physical to stray my thoughts.

I snuck a quick glance at Edward's plate. He hadn't started eating. Why hadn't he started eating? He hadn't even picked up the fork. I didn't dare look up to see why.

"Are you going to tell me why you weren't in bed this morning?" he asked.

I cut a small portion of my omelet with my fork and pushed it around my plate. "No," I replied, and finally looked up at him, seeing how hard he was trying to hide his sullen expression through indifference. "Eat your omelet. It'll get cold."

His hand reached across the table to mine and stopped the movement of pushing my fork around. At his sudden touch, I couldn't take it anymore. I dropped the fork to my plate with a clatter and shrouded my eyes with my free hand to cover the abrupt sobs that took over.

For several minutes, I just cried as he held onto my hand.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered, more to myself than him.

He didn't respond immediately, deliberating my words. "Are you hurt?" he questioned, strain in his voice. "Did someone touch you at work?"

I sniffled, my cries dying now. "No one touched me," I assured, and finally built up enough courage to maintain eye contact with him. "I want you to know, this doesn't change anything. I promise. I'm still Petal, and you're still everything to me."

Instead of looking relieved, his expression turned dark. His grip on my hand tightened. "Tell me," he demanded.

I took a deep breath, preparing. "I know who I am."

His hold on my hand slackened, and he moved it to his lap. "You got your memory back?" There was a dull curiosity on his face.

"No," I corrected. "What I meant to say was I _found out_ who I am." I wiped the moisture from my cheeks. "My disappearance is all over the local news."

His eyes dropped to the table. He was taking it surprisingly better than I anticipated. However, this wasn't even the hard part.

"My real name is Isabella Cullen," I stated in a rush, so I could reassure him I wasn't going anywhere. I felt devious purposely omitting the "White" part of my surname. "But it doesn't matter, because I don't even like that name. In fact, I think it's—"

"Cullen?" he interrupted, his eyes finding mine again. There seemed to be recognition there. "As in the Cullen Hotels?"

I frowned. "How do you know?" I questioned in a whisper.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, as if exhausted. "The hotel franchise is popular. I've stayed in a few overseas back in the day. I don't know much about it, though. So, you're the daughter of the boss or something?"

I nodded. "I only know that Carlisle Cullen is my father, I have a sister named Rosalie McCarty…and I have a…" my breathing grew heavy "…a—uh…"

"Why are you breathing like that?"

I couldn't stop. I felt like I would faint any second.

"Petal?" he asked when I didn't respond, worried.

At the sound of my name, I relaxed. He hadn't called me Isabella. I was still his Petal, and that wouldn't change.

"I'm married."

Gone was the expression of worry. He simply stared at me, unblinking, unmoving. The air around us was thick in eerie silence.

"Are you going to say something?" I asked hesitantly, watching closely for any sort of change other than his blank stare at me. I'd really thrown him off.

After thirty more seconds, there was still no response.

"Edward…?" My voice was meek, because I was really beginning to realize that something was wrong.

Suddenly, he pushed his chair back and stood to his feet, his sight still focused on me. I watched him on bated breath.

"Please talk to me," I pleaded, not able to bear not knowing what he was feeling.

His eyes dropped to my left hand. "You're not wearing a ring," he spoke quickly, almost desperately, but slightly accusatory. "When I found you, you weren't wearing a ring."

I sighed heavily. "I know. And I questioned that and more. Maybe I'm separated or something. I don't know, okay? I have no clue. I just know I'm definitely married."

His slightly crazed expression hardened, until he just looked downright explosive. In a sudden move, he flipped the table on its side, sending our meals flying. Loud crashes sounded. Clattering of cutlery. Barking of dogs. Thumping of heart. Intake of breath. Eyes of malevolence directed toward me.

He was gone in a flash, ripping the front door out of his way. I did the only thing I could do—I ran after him.

"Edward!" I called frantically, racing out of the cabin.

He was already at his truck, getting in.

"No, don't!" I begged, and ran straight to the driver's side.

The engine started with a roar just as I approached the door. He wouldn't even look at me, an enraged derangement preventing him. I tried pulling at the handle, but it was locked.

"Please don't go," I pleaded, and broke out in choked sobs. "I told you. This doesn't change anything."

The truck raced forward and flew toward the path that led to Redwood City.

"Edward!" I screamed hysterically as I chased after the truck. I couldn't keep up, so I finally stopped, watching him disappear from view.

He was gone.

"Don't leave me," I whispered.


	13. Selfish

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the naked man to my big ass cake. Happy Birthday! ILY!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<br>*Selfish***

A loud crash on the porch and a blinding light shining into the bedroom startled me awake. Looking out the window, I saw Edward's truck parked haphazardly up on the porch. Wasting no time, I ran into the living room, only to reach for the door at the same time as he burst into the house.

Looking him over, his eyes were bloodshot, and he reeked of alcohol. As if I wasn't here, he walked right by me and flopped down on the couch with a deep grunt.

He was drunk.

Beyond drunk.

I'd been worried and unsure of myself all night. But now, I was just angry. Very, very angry. How dare he stay out all night, drinking, while I came up with the worst scenarios for his long absence? Not to mention, how could he risk his life driving in such a state?

I could still hear the truck running, so I took a few minutes to reverse it off the porch and cut the engine. When I returned to him, he had an arm slung over his eyes, but I knew he hadn't passed out yet.

"You could've gotten hurt," I reprimanded. "Don't ever drink and drive again."

He let out a tiny snort, remaining in the same position.

I sighed, my anger diminishing. I knew why he was like this, and I didn't much blame him for it, because it was all my fault. He'd taken the news that I was married pretty hard. I only wished that instead of going out and getting plastered, he would've stayed and hashed it out with me.

"Edward," I spoke gently, kneeling by his head, "talk to me, please."

He didn't respond, choosing to remain still with his arm shrouding his eyes.

I hung my head sadly. "Alright. I get it. Just...come to bed and sleep this off," I suggested. "Want me to get your pajamas for you?"

When, yet again, he offered no reply, I touched his arm. He quickly yanked it away and flipped on his side, away from me.

My eyes became moist with the hurt his harsh rejection caused. "Don't be like this," I begged in a whisper. "We still care about each other."

"No," he finally said, his voice rough from the liquor.

"No?" My voice cracked. What was he saying?

"The second you told me you were married was when I stopped caring about you."

Those words…they were my undoing, hammering through any hope I had of him understanding. In that one statement, I realized the man I'd come to know wasn't here. Maybe he never would be again.

"How can you be so hateful?" I questioned quietly, and escaped into the bedroom, where I spent the remainder of the night soaking my pillow with heavy tears.

X-X-X-X

The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn, not having slept all that much. After getting changed, I left the confines of my bedroom and saw Edward was still asleep. I didn't look at him for more than two seconds, deciding that I would try not to think about him today, especially after what he said last night.

Suddenly needing some air, I left the cabin. Dawn provided a majestic glow in the woods surrounding. There was a bit of fog, but not enough to block my path. I wound around trees, just going where my instinct led me, until the sound of the close by river could be distinctly heard.

I froze, my heart racing, just like it did the last time I was near it. Everything in me said to turn back around. Get as far away as possible. However, my feet rebelled.

Before I knew it, I was walking to the river, not thinking about it; just going. Louder and louder the rush of water grew, until I could see it, just up ahead. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I stopped a few steps from the water's edge. Suddenly…I wasn't so scared anymore. In fact, I felt more at peace than I ever had.

It was glorious.

Rays of sun shone onto the rough surface of the river, while wild birds flew overhead in a beautiful V formation. I could see why the river was popular for river-rafting, because it looked quite dangerous. A thrill seeker's wet dream. Literally.

I slipped my shoe off and approached the river's edge. Slowly, I dipped a toe into the freezing water, eliciting a shiver from me. I couldn't have imagined just how cold I'd been before I'd washed up. It must've been to the point of numbness.

Looking up the river, I pondered how far up I'd come from. It couldn't have been too far; otherwise, I'd surely have drowned or frozen to death from the cold. And that was when I realized just how lucky I'd been to wash up here, where Edward found me and took me in. Anywhere else, and I wouldn't have lasted long.

He really was my savior.

The impact of that startled me. And if he never wanted to speak to me again, if he wanted me to pack my stuff and leave his house today, I'd do it, because I owed him that much. I owed him my life.

"Petal!" a distant voice yelled, the rush of the river overpowering it.

"Edward?" I questioned in a hushed croak, not able to find my voice.

"PETAL!" He was closer now. Any moment, he'd find me. There was some sort of desperation in his tone that had me glued to my spot.

Finally, he emerged from the trees in a flurry and stopped when he saw me. He was still dressed in the same clothes he wore yesterday, appearing haggard from his night of drinking. I looked upon him timidly, unsure what to say or do.

"I thought you left," he spoke in a rasp. He was too far away, and the river somewhat drowned out his voice.

"No," I replied simply, though afraid he would ask me to go.

He took small, deliberate steps to me, his tired eyes remaining locked with mine. With every inch he grew closer, my breath became shallower. When he was a foot from me, he stopped, and his face fell, showing the depth of his despair. He closed the distance between us, and I was instantly wrapped in a tight hug. I held onto him, gripping the back of his shirt as if I hadn't seen him in years.

"I didn't mean it," he spoke quietly into my ear. "You're all I care about." He pulled back, lifting my face up to look at his remorseful one. "There's nothing in this world I care about more than you. Nothing."

"Edward," I breathed, wanting him to stop, because he didn't need to explain.

He pressed short kisses around my face. "It killed me. I lost my mind." His fingers wove into my hair and cradled the back of my head as he placed a final kiss on my lips. "You belong to someone else, and I couldn't stand it. It was as if—"

"Enough," I interrupted, pulling back. "You don't have to explain. I know how you felt, because I felt the same thing when I first found out. I don't blame you for going off at me. I deserved it."

He shook his head. "You didn't deserve what I said. I shouldn't have told you I didn't care about you. I was lying and trying to hide the fact that I was dying inside."

I rubbed his cheek with the pad of my thumb. "Remember what I said to you not too long ago?" I brought up. "I said that if I ever remembered anything about my other life that you'd still matter. Edward…you still matter."

His gaze was intense upon me as his fingers idly played with my hair. The intensity died, replaced with a thoughtful look.

I dropped my forehead to his chest, where I could feel his heart pounding. "I don't know what to do," I spoke softly. "Tell me what I should do, because I'm at a loss."

I could hear him swallow thickly, and suddenly, his arms weren't around me anymore. He walked to this river's edge, looking out across the water. What was he thinking so intently about?

"If I asked you to stay…would you?" he inquired, his voice taking on a much deeper, steadier tone.

I stared at his back for several seconds. Though I already knew my answer, I wondered how that would affect the lives of others I didn't know. Family members that were more or less strangers.

He turned around, his expression more serious than I'd ever witnessed. "Would you?" he repeated.

I nodded.

He was quickly in front of me, cradling my hands to his chest. "Then stay. Be with me. Here. Don't ever leave. I'll give you everything you want. All my money is yours, whenever you need it."

I gasped, taken aback by his passionate words. In all the time I'd known him, I'd never seen him so emotional, almost to the point of insanity.

"Please, say you'll stay," he begged, his grip on my hands tightening.

With our eyes transfixed on one another, I felt like I could see right down to the very core of him. I wasn't entirely sure the extent of his feelings for me, nor did I know the extent of mine, but of one thing I was certain…he cherished me. Adored me. But it was much deeper than that for me. I couldn't imagine a life without him, and if I went back to my family, I knew—without a doubt—there'd be no room for Edward in my life.

There was a choice that needed to be made here, and not an impulsive one, either. This choice had to come from the heart. However, there was only one stipulation. If my heart had not been my own for some time now, then my choice should be simple.

Could I really be this selfish? Would it be wrong to be so completely selfish in the way I wanted to be now? There was no denying it was wrong, but the question was…did it matter?

Maybe the choice had been made the instant I'd washed up.

"I'm not going anywhere," I stated.

He breathed in deeply, his worried eyes becoming brighter. He let out a sigh of relief, and his forehead met mine. "Thank you," he whispered, encasing me in his arms once more. "Thank you so much."

"But what about my family?" I queried. "My father is looking for me. And my husband—"

He pulled back abruptly. "Don't _ever_ say that word," he growled fiercely, eliciting a surprised look from me. Almost instantly, his expression softened significantly. "You'll lay low."

I'd spoken those same words to Alice, and now I realized how irrational they sounded. "How long indefinitely can I go unnoticed, Edward? Someone will recognize me at some point, considering I'm all over the news."

A long exhale came from him. "You don't have to worry about anyone from the tavern snitching. They won't tell a soul, because they all know if they do, I'll come after them. But if it makes you feel better, you can quit working there and just stay here."

"Quit the tavern?" I asked sadly. The tavern was like my second home. How could I give it up? But I knew I'd have to. It was the only way to truly keep a low profile. "Does that mean I can't see Alice anymore?"

"You can still see her. Just not during business hours."

I nodded, depressed at this drastic change. But I'd do it all if it meant being with this man.

"Hey," he spoke comfortingly, lifting my chin. "It'll be fine, okay? We're going to make this happen. You'll see." He brought me into him, cocooning me in his warmth.

My eyes drifted to the river of their own will, and without warning, I was lost in my head.

_I was looking out ov_e_r the darkened river, the moon full and bright overhead. Goosebumps appeared on my arms. I just wasn't sure it was from the cold._

"_Bella?" a soft voice asked from behind me. Instinctiv_e_ly, I knew who it was. "Honey, are you okay?"_

_Turning around, my eyes came in contact with a lean, sandy-brown haired man with light eyes that even in the darkness was recognizable as clear blue._

"_Why are you crying?" he questioned. His voice was a soothing whisper. "I saw you were gone, so I came out here to check on you. What did she say to you?" _

_My eyes fell to the ground as I sniffled. I couldn't look at him. I felt…guilty. _

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, pulling me out of a new memory I'd gained. One of my…of Liam White.

This was the first time I'd remembered something about him, and I wished I could undo it. Before, he hadn't seemed as real without a memory attached, but now, I knew he was a large part of my life. My other life. The life I was leaving behind.

"Make me forget, Edward," I requested. I didn't want anything to do with my past. I didn't want my memories coming back and making me feel emotions I didn't want to feel. I just wanted to forget.

"Forget what?" he queried, worried.

My fingers grasped onto his shirt. "Please, just…I need you to make me forget," I pleaded.

His hands slowly came up to the sides of my face in understanding. My eyes shut of their own accord, anticipating him. I felt his warm breath on me before his lips rested delicately against mine.

The hesitance we both conveyed at first didn't last for long, and soon, our kiss escalated into a passionate embrace, full of need and desire. Our fingers gripped onto each other's hair, and our bodies were pressed firmly.

Suddenly, I was being lifted into the air and carried at a swift pace through the woods. The wind _swished_ around me. He was moving us quickly, his mouth still attached to mine. I knew where he was taking me, and I didn't mind. I _wanted _to be taken there.

Once in the house, he shut the door with the back of his foot and entered the bedroom. The kiss came to an abrupt stop when he gently set me on the bed. I looked up at him, my eyes reflecting exactly what I wanted. His expression showed how much he wanted this, but he seemed to be lost in his head as he stared down at me, unmoving.

Using my elbows, I slithered up to the middle of the bed, my dress hiking up my thighs. That got his attention, his eyes flickering from my legs to my face and back to my legs again.

Taking the initiative, I reached for one of the belt loops on his jeans. With a quick tug, his knee popped up on the bed, and his hand came to rest on my shoulder. I slowly unbuttoned the denim, taking my time, followed by pulling down the zipper.

"Is this okay?" I asked, looking up at him.

His eyes were unblinking upon me. He only offered a small nod.

With permission granted, I pushed the jeans down to his knees. He was wearing a pair of royal blue boxers, and beneath, I could tell just how okay he was with this. I wanted to touch him, but I also wanted to even up the score a bit, so I sat back against my hands and waited.

_Come on, Edward. Take off something of mine. _

For some reason, he wasn't moving.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he croaked.

"Are you alright?"

He cleared his throat, his brow furrowing. "I'm fine."

I smiled warmly. "Good," I said, and waited again, but he still didn't do anything. "Want to help me take off my dress?"

He nodded.

I took his hands and placed them on my shoulder straps. Together, we removed both straps, his fingertips grazing my arms. His breathing picked up, as did mine. Moving to sit up on my knees, the dress fell around my waist, baring my top half. His eyes dropped down to my breasts. He looked like he wanted to touch them, but at the same time, didn't.

"Edward, tell me what's wrong."

He regarded me, masking a tinge of fear. "I haven't done this in a while," he admitted.

"How long?"

"Four and a half years."

"Ah," I said, a little surprised. "You haven't wanted to?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't something I thought about…until…"

I nodded in understanding. Until I came along. "So, your ex-wife was the last person you…"

He sighed. "Yeah," he answered.

"Well…I'm in no rush," I assured, and moved his hand right on my breast. "You realize this is the second time you'll see me naked. Don't think I've forgotten."

That got him smiling, finally. He grasped me firmly, feeling the weight of me. "I didn't look, really."

"As if I believe you," I accused jokingly.

He chuckled and leaned down, planting his lips on mine. The mood was shifting. "Maybe I looked a little," he breathed, and pushed me on my back.

"Did you like what you saw?" I asked, trying my best to sound seductive.

"You were near hypothermia, Petal. I had no choice but to take your clothes off."

I smiled mischievously. "That doesn't answer my question."

He smirked. "I'm pretty sure I envisioned you naked on more than one occasion after that," he admitted.

I grinned widely and watched as he shimmied my dress down my hips and legs, leaving me in just my yellow cotton underwear.

He leaned over me, a newfound confidence emanating from him, and removed his shirt with one hand. His stomach and chest were toned and tight, showing just how physical a guy he was. My hands smoothed over the warm skin, running through the light hair on his chest.

After he fully removed his jeans, I pulled him down by his waist. He rested between my legs, settling right where I ached for him. Our mouths found each other's again, as well as our tongues, sending tingles up and down my body. His warm chest against my cold one caused my nipples to harden. A deep groan came out of him.

My fingers roamed down the expanse of his smooth back, until they reached the waistband of his boxers. I slipped my hands beneath and cupped his cheeks, making his hips push against me. His lips attached to my neck, sucking on me hard, his teeth scraping against my skin. In response, I squeezed the toned flesh in my palms, earning an animalistic grunt from him and another hip grind.

"Shit," he whispered.

"You like that?" I asked, my breaths coming out ragged.

"No—I mean, yes," he quickly corrected, and pulled back so his eyes lined up with mine. "What I mean to say is, I just realized I don't have…anything."

I quirked an eyebrow, not sure what he was getting at. "Anything?"

He sighed. "A condom."

"Oh," I said, suddenly downcast. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't." The guy hadn't had sex in over four years. Of course he didn't have condoms on him. "You can get some when you go into Redwood City on Friday."

He frowned for a beat, before looking sheepish. "Or I can go now."

I chuckled. "You want to go to town just for condoms?" I asked, to which he shrugged. "It's only four days away. We can wait." I pressed a kiss to his lips and moved out from under him to pick up my dress.

His hand jutted out, stopping me from throwing my dress back on. "I don't think I can wait four days, Petal," he said, his fingers softly teasing the skin of my arm.

I smiled slyly. "Think of it as a challenge."

His eyebrow lifted. "A challenge?"

"Yeah. Wait four days and have sex with the girl."

"Hmm," he hummed in thought, and rubbed his thumb over my hardened nipple. "That's a good prize."

I moved my face to his. "I think so, too."

He pecked the side of my neck. "What do _you _win?"

I ran my fingers through his hair. "I've already won my prize."

"And what's that?"

"You."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**WU was reviewed by SusanQ over at The Lemonade Stand. If you'd like to read, the link can be found on my profile.**


	14. First Time

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<br>*First Time***

"I'm so glad we found a compromise," Alice said cheerfully. "I like havin' you 'round here."

I smiled, thinking the same thing.

When I'd told Alice I couldn't work at the tavern anymore, she'd provided a roundabout way for everyone involved to stay happy. So, instead of working evenings on the weekends, I'd help her out around the tavern during the off-hours. This way, I got to see Alice, still get paid a bit of cash, and only be seen by those I trusted with my life. It'd been a few days now of this, and I couldn't complain.

"Where's Jasper today?" I asked as I wiped down the bar counter.

"Oh, he's locked himself in the office, as usual. Probably won't come out 'til sundown."

The sound of a distant engine rumbling could be heard. My heartbeat took off in recognition.

"That's Edward," I spoke aloud. "Can I take a ten minute break, Alice?

She took the washcloth from me with a smirk. "Go on."

I practically skipped out the door, elated. His quick return only meant one thing—he was as anxious as I was.

Edward stepped out of the truck just as I fisted his jacket and yanked him down to me. He could barely get the door closed with the way I was feverishly attacking his mouth, pulling him away from the metal junk he drove.

"Mmm," he groaned, his hands finding my waist. They weren't there long. He seemed to rather enjoy squeezing my backside just as much as I did.

I pulled back slightly, releasing quick pants. "Did you get them?" I asked.

"Mm-hm," he hummed, bringing me even closer to him.

"Good," I breathed, and pressed my lips to his again in heated passion.

Edward responded with equal fervor, and in a sudden move, I was lifted onto the hood of the truck. My legs were parted by large hands, and he stood between them to deepen our kiss.

These sorts of intense make-out and heavy groping sessions weren't rare for us the past few days. It was all foreplay, leading up to the grand finale...to what we planned to do this very day.

On his usual weekly trip to Redwood City, aside from making a stop at the food bank and buying our groceries, I knew he wouldn't return home without protection. I was pretty sure that was the only thing on his mind, and to be honest, it was all I could think about, as well. We were extremely…_extremely_…sexually charged.

"Let's go," he blurted into my mouth, not taking the chance of breaking our now hurried and frantic kisses. His fingers were gripping onto the hem of my dress so tightly, I thought it might rip. Hell, I was close to ripping the dress myself.

His teeth tugged gently on my lower lip just as I shook my head in the negative.

"Hmm?" he hummed in question, and attached his mouth to my jaw. "Why not?"

My fingers slithered into his hair, holding his head in the same spot so he could continue the swirly thing he was currently doing with his tongue…_Holy_… "I'm working," I managed to get out.

He let out a deep groan. I wasn't sure if it was from my answer or if it was because I'd tugged on his hair roughly. Either way, his tongue had moved a little higher up to just below my ear. My eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I fought the urge to yank down his fly.

"Oh, Lord—_Wow_. Okay…," a surprised voice stuttered to the side of us.

We jarred apart to see Alice shielding her eyes.

"Sorry, Petal!" she exclaimed. "It's been more than ten minutes, so I thought I'd come find ya. I can see ya busy, though.

Not embarrassed at all, I let out a chuckle and used the back of my hand to wipe my moist mouth. "It's okay. We're done," I assured.

Edward shook his head at me with a scowl. "No, we aren't," he whispered in protest, his grip tightening on my dress.

I extracted his fingers one by one and tried to get down, but he refused to step away from between my legs.

"She'll be there in five, Alice," Edward called out, his tone a little kinder than usual.

"Alrighty," she replied, hastily took a peek over her hand, and then vanished inside quickly.

Before I could even get one word out, his mouth connected to a sensitive part of my neck, causing me to moan. "I should really get back," I spoke, trying to convince myself more than him.

He stopped abruptly and dropped his forehead to my shoulder for a few long moments before he took one giant step back. "Fine," he grumbled, and held out his hand for me to grab onto as I hopped down.

"Come in for a drink," I offered, smoothing out my dress.

"The tavern doesn't open until later."

"Well, seeing as you own the place, I figured it'd be fine," I said without thinking. When I realized my error, it was too late. I couldn't backtrack.

His eyes narrowed. "Alice told you, didn't she?" he accused, not sounding completely surprised, but still aggravated, nonetheless.

I placed my hands on my hips, because he was only ticked he'd been found out, not that he'd withheld important information about himself. "And you didn't," I shot back.

His demeanor changed, and he looked slightly unsure of himself. "I've been meaning to…but…" he started, "I've been distracted lately."

I rolled my eyes. "You had loads of opportunities." It wasn't like we'd been attached at the mouth every moment of every day. Though, sometimes, it did seem like that.

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess.

"Remember what I said about honesty, Edward? I don't understand why you felt the need to keep this from me."

His eyes turned slightly angry. "I wasn't keeping it from you purposely. I just don't like to think about it."

"You don't like to think about the fact that you own the tavern?"

He shrugged and glanced away. "It just reminds me of things I don't want to be reminded about."

I softened at that. "I get it. I just wish I could've found out from you instead of Alice."

"She can't keep her damn mouth shut," he muttered under his breath, walking to the entrance.

I followed him. "Don't blame her. I told her to tell me."

He huffed and opened the door.

X-X-X-X

"But did you have to yell at her?"

"I should've been the one to tell you," he replied, gripping onto the steering wheel. "It's not like it got through her thick skull, anyway."

"Hey, that's my friend."

"And what am I?"

For a moment, I couldn't think of an answer to that. "Someone who didn't tell me they owned the place I work at."

He glanced over at me briefly and let out a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry, okay? I would've told you eventually."

"_Eventually_?" I asked incredulously. "What else are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing."

My eyes assessed him closely.

He took another quick look at me and regarded the road again. "You don't believe me?" he questioned, a hint of hurt there.

I exhaled loudly through my nose and gazed out the window. "No, I do believe you, and that's my problem. I believe you too easily, and then I find out you're hiding something else from me."

The truck stopped, and I realized we were home already. He switched off the engine, angled his body to me, and took my hand out of my lap, setting it on the seat between us. "I'm not hiding anything else about myself," he spoke with conviction. His thumb rubbing my skin put me at ease.

When we entered the cabin, Sadie and Tucker were excited to see both of us. After petting them for a few minutes, I went into the bedroom to freshen up, only to stop in my tracks. A few lit candles adorned the nightstand, as well as a small vase of daisies.

"Oh," I breathed, taken aback. I could feel Edward directly behind me. My heart thumped, realizing how lucky I was right now. "You did this?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah," he replied quietly.

My eyes took in the bed, and I couldn't help but chuckle. A box of condoms was haphazardly tossed on it. "Very romantic," I teased, and picked up the box.

He quickly snatched it out of my hand. "Damnit," he cursed to himself, and crossed over to the nightstand, shoving the box into the drawer. When he looked back at me, he seemed nervous. "I'm a little out of practice."

I smiled warmly at him, trying to disarm his sudden discomfort. Not once did I take my eyes off him as I sat on the edge of the bed. I was ready for this. "Shut the door," I requested.

He blinked at me a few times and moved to the door. As he tried to close it, Tucker attempted to push his way inside. "No, stay out there," Edward whispered discreetly, and finally managed to lock us in. Alone.

I giggled to myself. "Does he want a show?" My voice was dripping with innuendo I didn't know I was capable of.

He rubbed the back of his neck, still awkwardly standing by the door. "Apparently," he replied.

Scratches on wood broke our attention from each other. Either Tucker or Sadie was trying to bust in.

Edward groaned, closing his eyes briefly in frustration. He looked at me apologetically. "Let me just get their food together so they're occupied."

"Alright. I'll be here."

He nodded, gave me one last look, and exited the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

At lightning speed, I dashed into the bathroom to check that I looked alright. Was my hair okay? Should I brush my teeth? Did I have ketchup on the corner of my mouth from when I ate those fries earlier? I wished I had some sort of makeup to brighten my face, but then again, he most likely preferred me as I was.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I should take off my dress or let him do that. In my opinion, there'd been enough foreplay throughout the week, and I was positive he wouldn't hate it if I skipped a step.

Once my dress and panties were off, I debated whether to get under the blanket or lay on top. It was a tough decision; however, I didn't have very long to decide, because the door began to open again.

I swiftly launched myself onto the bed, resting on my side in what could only be described as an alluring pose…I hoped.

"Sorry about that," he said as he stepped in. "I forgot to feed them this morn—" He stopped speaking, his eyes roaming over my very naked body.

I was right. He definitely didn't mind that I'd skipped a step. "Are you coming over here any time soon?" I asked playfully.

His eyes finally connected with mine, snapping out of the spell he was under. One by one, and painfully slowly, he began removing his clothes, starting with his jacket, followed by his shirt, shoes, socks, pants, and finally, his boxers.

I couldn't help but stare brazenly at the part of him I'd soon become intimate with. He was ready for me, it seemed, and because of that, it made me very anxious. I figured I'd done this before, given how I wasn't _technically _single, but that didn't mean I was an expert of sex. A lot of it would have to come from my instincts.

He climbed onto the bed, resting against his heels as he implored me silently for what should be done next. I joined him on my knees and reached out to him, my hands lightly brushing across his broad shoulders, down his toned biceps.

"Are you nervous?" I questioned softly.

"A little," he responded, resting his hands on my hips.

"Don't be. It's just us."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "I know."

I smiled in return.

Choosing not to stall any longer, we both leaned in, starting off with a slow, meaningful kiss. Our hands roamed wherever we could reach, his taking refuge on my bare bottom, caressing it, while I decided to be bold. I reached between us and wrapped my fingers around him. His breath caught momentarily, before he dipped his tongue into my mouth.

He was hot and hard in my hand as I pumped him a few times, feeling the length of him. Abruptly, he stopped my hand's movement. "Lay down," he ordered.

I did so, watching him intently while he reached into the nightstand and pulled out a condom. Once he was finished, he separated my legs and moved between them, fitting himself to me. He made sure to keep his weight off me by propping himself up on his forearms.

He seemed nervous again, and I wanted him to feel at ease, so I caressed his back languidly, listening to his breathing slow.

"Is this going too fast?" he questioned quietly, his mouth an inch from my own.

"No," I replied, and widened my legs even more for him. "I want this."

He gave me a meaningful look, one I didn't think I'd ever forget, and brought his lips to mine. The depth and adoration behind the kiss nearly winded me. This was a personal and intense moment between us. It was everything I wanted it to be. Everything it should be.

With a final peck, he positioned himself at my entrance. When he pushed in, I gasped sharply at the sensation of being filled. I thought perhaps once we were joined, I'd receive an overwhelming feeling of this being wrong, considering my marital status, but I didn't feel that at all. To the contrary, this felt so right. I berated myself for even thinking about anything or anyone other than the amazing man above me.

"Am I hurting you?" he inquired when he was halfway in.

"No, keep going," I urged, my chest rising and falling quicker.

He dropped his forehead to the crook of my neck and pushed all the way inside of me, until he couldn't go any further. A broken exhale escaped him. He wrapped my legs around his hips, and I locked my ankles together, hugging him closer to me, enjoying his warmth.

After a delicate kiss to my shoulder, he began to move. His strokes were long and slow at first, filling me to the brim again and again, and a pace formed.

For several minutes, neither of us uttered a word, except listening to the sounds of our shallow breaths. I became lost in the feeling of him, and the strong emotions he evoked from me.

His hot air was on my ear, as if he wanted to whisper something to me, but he didn't. The tingling in my body intensified the longer he pushed within me. His mouth covered mine, and our lips expressed words that weren't spoken aloud. Words of pleasure. Words of adoration. Words of possession.

Our bodies were in sync, the pace now quick yet not any less meaningful. He grasped my hands, pinning them above my head one by one, and moved even deeper in me, causing me to cry out.

"You'll have to be patient with me this first time," he rasped through clenched teeth.

I understood what he meant. "It's okay," I assured in a whisper that was most likely lost over his heavy pants.

As he took himself to the highest point, I kissed, licked, and sucked on his neck, which seemed to arouse him even more. His grunts came out more frequent and louder as the seconds passed, and soon, he tumbled over the edge. I watched him, in awe, as he rode out his orgasm, pumping a couple more times inside me, and eventually came down from it.

For a long while, he was very still above me, until he suddenly kissed me with a passion most would never think possible. I felt lightheaded yet completely ecstatic to have just shared this experience with this wonderful man.

He pulled back only minutely, his penetrating eyes gazing into mine. "How can you be so beautiful?" he asked.

I couldn't help but smile timidly at his sweet words. "You're just saying that because you had an orgasm," I affirmed.

"I'm not," he spoke seriously. "I ask myself that every day. And I'm not just talking about how you look."

My heart beat a tad faster, and I wondered if he could hear it. I buried my face in his neck, smelling his natural, musky scent.

"You okay?" he questioned gently, and pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

"Mm-hm," I hummed in reply, not able to properly speak. How could I feel _so _much for someone I'd only known, technically, for a month?

He unraveled my legs from around him and slowly got up from the bed. "I'll be back in a second."

I observed his bare form while he went into the bathroom. He kept the door open, so I could see almost everything he was doing. I liked how comfortable he was with me now and vice versa. I couldn't ever picture it any other way.

When he came back, in all his naked glory, I noticed he was smiling sinisterly.

"What's that for?" I asked, wanting to be in on whatever had made his mood become mischievous.

"Nothing," he replied innocently, and situated himself next to me. He lay on his side, facing me, his hand coming to rest on my stomach. "How are you feeling?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Good, why?"

"'Cause…I'm not done just yet," he responded mysteriously, and slowly, his fingers headed south, at first barely tickling my stomach, but soon, venturing further down.

"What are you doing?" I inquired in a pleasurable gasp as his middle finger swirled lasciviously around the spot that throbbed for some attention.

"Making you feel good," he said, and bent his head to my breast, sucking a nipple into his hot mouth.

The different sensations felt phenomenal. I wound my fingers into his hair, relishing in the talent of his fingers and the high he was leading me to.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Thank you for reading.**


	15. A Whistling Woman

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie—the Cinnabon to my belly.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIFTEEN<br>*A Whistling Woman***

A dam had been broken.

After our first time together last week, we went on to make love two more times that day, getting to know each other in an entirely different aspect. The day after that, we commandeered the bed, breaking our previous record with four times.

It evened out to twice per day, since we both had our own things to do during the light hours, but once back in bed, we consumed each other, removing clothing slowly and worshipping the other, or practically ripping fabric and wasting no time.

Sex hadn't been restricted to the bed. We ventured into the shower on more than one occasion, the couch, up against the front door, on the edge of the kitchen table, and even one time in the truck. I'd gone down on him a couple times, but the one occasion he'd tried to return the favor, I had to stop him, due to his beard scratching me. He offered to shave it all off, but I was adamant against that. It was a part of who he was, after all.

Currently, we were parked outside the tavern before my noon shift. I was straddling his lap, sitting right on his formidable erection. His mouth had been on my collarbone for the last five minutes.

"We can be fast," he murmured, hiking up my dress past my thighs.

I giggled, because he was awfully pushy when he wanted me like this. "We won't be fast, and you know it."

"Well,_ I_ can be fast." He smirked against my skin.

I snorted. "I've got to be inside within the next four minutes."

"Great. Reach over to the glove compartment and pull out a condom."

Grabbing the sides of his face, I peppered light kisses on his swollen lips. "You've got condoms in there?"

"After the last time in here when we needed one, I decided to stock up so there wouldn't be a repeat."

I smiled, remembering the mess we had to deal with. "Smart," I complimented, and attempted to climb off his lap, but he grabbed onto my waist. "I need to go."

"No," he ordered.

"Yes," I shot back playfully, and successfully moved into the seat next to me.

He groaned, giving in.

My dress was twisted and practically bunched up around my waist, so I fixed it and got out of the truck. But after I closed the door, he rolled down the window.

"I'll pick you up at five," he informed. "Don't wait out here, though. I'll come get you inside."

On entering the tavern, I noticed Alice wasn't around, but the television was on, airing some sort of daytime soap opera. I switched it off, just like I always did when she had the TV on.

After calling out Alice's name a couple times, I went into the back. The office door was wide open, so I peeked my head in. Jasper was sitting at the solitary desk, with a calculator in hand. He glanced up at me.

"Lookin' for Alice?"

"Yeah, is she around?" I asked.

He set the calculator on the desk. "She's takin' some boxes to the dumpster 'round the side. She'll probably come through the front when she's done."

I nodded once and began to leave, when he spoke again.

"Oh, and Petal?"

I gave him a questioning look in response.

"Alice tells me everythin'," he said.

I let out a sigh, knowing what that meant. "Great," I spoke dryly. "Let me guess. You agree with her that I should go home."

He chuckled. "She'd like me to, but no. I don't."

"Really?" I asked, hopeful. Maybe he could convince Alice why I should stay.

"I don't agree with you, either."

My face quickly fell, any positive thoughts I had evaporating. "I don't get it."

He leaned back in his chair, a far off look in his eyes. "There's an old sayin'—_a whistling woman and a crowing hen never come to a very good end_. Know what it means?"

"No," I answered.

He shrugged, grabbing his calculator again. "Just remember it."

Needless to say, I walked away from his office very confused. As I was about to return to the bar, I heard Alice's voice, along with a man's, causing me to freeze.

"Yes, can I help ya?" Alice asked.

"I'm Detective Barslow. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" the man questioned, his voice deep and gruff.

I furrowed my brow, my gut telling me this was about me.

"Badge, please," Alice requested. For a brief moment, there was dead silence. "Alright. Go ahead, Detective."

Not able to help myself, I slowly cracked open the door enough for me to see the back of a very tall man, dressed in a black suit, with dark, slicked back hair. Alice looked wary, standing stiffly. She caught my eye briefly.

"A young woman named Isabella Cullen-White went missing not too far from here a few weeks back," Detective Barslow started. "She's a brunette around her mid-twenties, average height, thin build. Sound familiar?"

Alice shook her head. "No."

"Hmm," he hummed for a moment, and reached into his suit jacket, pulling out what looked like a photograph. "Does this help?"

From here, I couldn't see what was on there, but I imagined it was of me.

Alice took the picture and eyed it closely for a total of two seconds before handing it back to him. "Haven't seen her," she replied evenly. "Might wanna try Bernie's Bar 'bout ten minutes down the road. Can't miss it."

"Miss—" he began to say, before she cut him off promptly.

"That's _Mrs._ Jasper Whitlock."

He cleared his throat. "Pardon me, Mrs. Whitlock. There have been various tips that a young woman resembling Isabella Cullen-White has been seen at this bar. I'm just trying to do my job and reunite her with her family."

"And I'm tellin' ya, she ain't here," Alice spoke calmly, but with a tinge of venom. "If I see her, I know where to call."

The detective suddenly looked to the side, allowing me to finally get a glimpse of his face. My eyes zeroed in on a tattoo located at the side of his neck—a black spade with an A above it. I gasped to myself, realizing I recognized him.

_Staring up at the full moon, the rush of water below, a sort of peace washed over me. Out here, I could see a million stars. The breeze fanned across my moist cheeks, causing a chill to run through my body. _

_A twig snapped behind me. I didn't turn around. It was as if I was waiting for something. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my middle, and a hand covered my mouth roughly. My scream was muffled as I tried to escape to no avail. I managed to step on a foot, and in a moment of weakness, the arm slackened around me. _

_I elbowed whoever was behind me in the gut, a loud grunt ensuing, and successfully slipped out. Quickly spinning around, I was faced with a tall man who had dark hair that looked jet black in the dead of night. On the side of his neck was a distinct Ace of Spades tattoo. _

"_Don't like that, huh?" I taunted in a pant, watching as he stood straight in recovery. "I've taken a self-defense class or two. Worked out pretty well in the end." _

_He took a small step to me, causing me to take a step back. "You don't wanna mess with me, Isabella," he threatened viciously. He was practically towering over me, and there was nowhere to run. _

_Looking behind me, the river was a good distance down. I was trapped. _

"_Any last words?" he asked. _

I quickly shut the door, swallowing a lump in my throat, and waited for the man to leave. A few moments later, Alice came into the back.

"Christ almighty," she muttered, and caught sight of me practically cowering behind the door. "What's got you lookin' like a wild turkey on Thanksgivin'?"

I let out a shaky breath. For the first time in a while, I was scared. "That guy isn't a detective," I said.

"He's not? But he showed me a badge."

"He's not a detective," I repeated, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Then who is he?"

"The man who's trying to kill me."

X-X-X-X

Edward kept looking at me, taking his eyes off the road almost every five seconds. I remained staring straight, sitting rigid.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" he asked curiously.

"Just something Alice said," I answered automatically, almost robotically. But it was the truth.

After I'd told Alice about the man who was after my life, she'd said, "This is gettin' risky, Petal. What if your family's in danger?"

That question alone had my insides turning violently. Everything was different now. Everything.

"What'd she say?" he queried.

I couldn't tell him. Not just yet. Not until I processed this a little more. "Nothing interesting," I replied.

He sighed. "I know you're not telling the truth."

My anger spiked. "Oh, so you just automatically assume I'm lying? I'm not _you_." Almost immediately, I realized my damaging words, but it was too late to undo them. "I'm sorry. I don't know why—"

"Forget it," he cut off swiftly, his hands gripping the steering wheel.

The drive back to the cabin was unnaturally quiet. I knew it'd been my own doing, so I had no right to complain.

At home, he didn't ask me what was the matter. On some level, he must've sensed I needed space. Or he was angry with me. Either way, I knew there was a certain amount of time before he would start questioning me again.

After dinner, I washed my hands. As the warm water ran over my skin, my mind put two and two together about how I wound up here. Someone had been trying to kill me before I washed up. In my most recent memory, I'd been standing at the river when that fake detective tried to attack me. Maybe he'd pushed me into the river? That wouldn't have been a very effective kill, if so. The chances of me surviving the fall were pretty high. Then again…I'd barely made it out of the river alive.

Had the man wanted to kill me because of who I was? An heiress? Maybe I'd done something to him and he was getting revenge. It was impossible to know.

Two arms suddenly wrapped around my middle, causing me to gasp loudly. Upon quickly realizing it was just Edward and not some crazy imposter detective, I shut off the faucet and stared down at my pruney fingers.

"Are your hands clean enough?" he questioned with an added chuckle, and rested his chin on my shoulder. His demeanor was a one-eighty from when I'd snapped at him earlier. It made me wonder if he was just putting on an act.

"Yeah," I spoke under my breath.

He grabbed a towel and began drying my hands thoroughly. "Ready to talk?"

I shook my head, unable to look at him.

He tossed the towel onto the counter and brought my fingers to his lips, leaving gentle kisses on them. "Just tell me if it has to do with who you really are."

I nodded. I could at least give him that.

He let go of my hands, folding his arms over his chest. We stood there for what seemed like ages, neither speaking.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said finally, but didn't move. "You coming?"

Taking a shower would most likely entail touching, and I wasn't in that sort of mood.

"We don't have to do anything. It's just a shower," he assured, taking hold of my hand. "Come on. It'll relax us both."

I let him lead me into the bathroom.

In bed later that night, I was wide awake, while he slept soundly next to me. Unable to drift off, I got up and went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of milk. As the cold liquid slipped down my throat, my racing thoughts ebbed. I felt a lot more relaxed now, and in the morning, the first thing that needed to be done would be to tell Edward what I'd found out. I always made a big deal about honesty, so it would be hypocritical of me not to share.

As I set my glass in the sink, I thought I heard indistinct murmuring voices coming from the other side of the back door. I pressed my ear to the wood, listening closely and hoping I'd just gone mad.

"If you came here and couldn't find her before, then what makes you think she'll be here now?" a male voice whispered, causing my eyes to widen. Someone was here.

"I told you. I didn't get a good look because that asshole told me to leave," a familiar, gruff voice spoke quietly.

Oh no. I recognized that voice. I'd heard it earlier in the day from the phony detective. The man who was trying to kill me.

Internally, I was near having a panic attack. He'd come to my home. He must've really wanted me dead. Edward was here, and he could be in danger, too. But there was no way in hell I'd let that jerk get anywhere near Edward.

Resolved, I tiptoed to the front door, grabbed the shotgun, and quietly exited the house. It was pitch black outside and the air was cold. I was only dressed in one of Edward's sleep shirts, so my legs became practically numb, but I didn't let it deter me.

As I stood on the front porch, I listened for those whispering voices, but couldn't hear anything. Figuring they were still at the back, I cautiously edged around the side. Peeking around the corner, there was no one there. Where had they gone?

I moved to the back of the cabin and could finally hear them. They were around the corner, where the latch door to the basement was. I went to the very edge, listening as indistinct noises were made. It seemed they were opening the latch door and one of them had gone down or was coming back up; I couldn't be sure.

"Nothing down there but a bunch of fancy furniture, paintings, and junk. Couldn't see anything that might belong to her," the unfamiliar man said. "Maybe she's back in LA, Felix."

"I _know _she's here," Felix spoke confidently. "That broad at that tavern dump was in too much of a rush to get me out of there. She's covering for that little bitch." The sound of the latch door closing could be heard. "Did you destroy the Target security footage like I asked?"

"Yeah."

"Good," Felix said. "I can't risk anyone getting to her before I do."

Target footage? Oh God…I'd been caught on camera that one time I went shopping. Who on earth were these guys? It made me wonder what else they'd done to keep people from finding me.

My anger was growing, and I'd had just about enough of listening to them talk, so I carefully clicked the safety off and was about to pump the gun, when I realized it would be too loud. It made me think…was I _really_ going to shoot them? Take their lives, even? I'd only ever shot at targets Edward put in front of me, but I'd never killed anything. I wasn't a murderer.

A hand suddenly covered my mouth. My head whipped in surprise to see Edward directly behind me with a finger to his lips in request I remain quiet. The beating of my heart took off, because somehow, I could feel that he'd take care of this. If anyone could, it was him. I instantly felt safe.

He removed the shotgun from my hold and carefully pumped the gun. There were two distinct clicks from it, causing my breath to catch.

"You hear that?" Felix whispered in question. "Go check it out."

I was abruptly being yanked backward by Edward to the other side of the cabin where the truck was parked. We ducked behind the large piece of metal.

"You're going to make a run into the woods behind us as fast as you can," Edward urged me in a breath. "Make sure to stay low."

"Are you coming, too?" I asked. This was too dangerous. We both should just get as far away from here as possible.

"No," he replied. There was an intensity in his eyes that made me realize he was going to risk his life for mine.

"I'm not going without you," I said, water clouding my vision.

One of his hands came up to cradle my cheek. "Petal, if there's ever a time to be stubborn, now's not it. I need you to go, damnit."

I nodded reluctantly. "Please don't kill them. I don't want you going to jail."

"I'm not going to kill them. I'll trick them into leaving. Just _go_. Quickly!"

With that, I took off toward the woods, making sure to stay low. I hid myself behind a tree, where I could see everything that was going on. There was a dark silhouette of a man with a gun in hand at the back of the cabin, just standing there.

Edward, still squatted by the car, suddenly opened the passenger door and jumped inside. With a roar, the truck's engine came to life. He shut the door with a loud bang and sped off, all in a matter of seconds.

"Felix!" the silhouetted man shouted, and ran back around to the other side of the house.

Felix and his accomplice appeared where the truck had been moments ago.

"Was that her?" Felix asked in a growl.

"I think so," the other man replied nervously. "I…I couldn't get a good look in the truck."

"You idiot," Felix barked, shoving the man. "Well, don't just fucking stand there! Get the van and follow her!"

I prayed internally that Edward was as far away as possible by now.

Terrified, the man disappeared through some trees. Felix walked to the front of the cabin and boldly went inside. Loud barking ensued. My heart jolted. I hoped Sadie and Tucker wouldn't get hurt. If anything happened to them, I would just die.

After several minutes, a black van pulled up. The man from earlier got out just as Felix emerged from the house, holding what appeared to be fabric of some kind.

"Lost her. The truck was moving too fast," the man said nervously.

"No matter," Felix assured. "We've got her. Remember this?" He held up an outfit that I couldn't see clearly from where I was.

"She was wearing this before she jumped into the river, right?"

I'd _jumped_? Thinking back over some of my memories, I distinctly remembered being a good distance above a river. I must've been insane to do that!

"Exactly," Felix confirmed with a sinister chuckle. "Let's go. We'll come back in a couple days when she least expects it."

Within a matter of seconds, the van was speeding off. I hadn't realized how heavily I was breathing as I sunk down the trunk of the tree, my forehead dropping to my drawn up knees.

They were going to come back. And they'd taken something of mine. It was without a doubt now that they knew my exact location. What was I going to do? Felix was trying to kill me for whatever reason, and I feared my family would be at risk, too.

Several minutes passed before I heard the familiar groan of Edward's truck. Wasting no time, I got up and ran to him just as he got out. In an instant, we were in each other's arms, holding on tightly.

"They're gone, but they're coming back in a couple days," I choked into his chest, not able to hold back the tears of stress and hopelessness.

He pulled back and swiped his thumbs under my eyes. "Hey, don't cry," he spoke in a soothing tone, then brought me to him again, encasing me in his strong arms. "I'm here, Petal. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"I know one of those guys," I admitted. "The tall guy. I recognize him from a memory. He tried to kill me before, and now he's trying again."

"Shit," he cursed, and unwrapped his arms from around me. He took a few steps back and kicked the front tire, taking out his aggression. "I _knew_ he was after you."

"What?" I asked, confused.

He grabbed me by the wrist and led me into the house where it was warm. The living room light remained off, the glow of the moon casting shadows on his face.

"This is the third time I've seen him." He sat us both down on the couch. "That day I found you, I ran into him at the river. He was looking for something. I told him he needed to leave, and he did without a fight. Ten minutes later, I found you, just about dead.

"The second time I saw him was about three weeks ago when I had that nail in the tire. After you went inside the tavern, a black van stopped along the curb and the window rolled down. As soon as he saw me, he drove off."

"Wait," I spoke when he was done. "You knew someone was after me and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't know," he replied. "It wasn't until the second time that I started to suspect, but I still wasn't sure. The only reason I even thought someone could be after you was because of this." He rested his hand on my hip.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Because of my hip?"

"No." He pulled my shirt up, revealing the skin of my hip. His fingers rubbed my scar gently. "This, right here, is from a bullet grazing you. That's why it hasn't healed fully. I remembered you showing it to me."

I gasped, pulling my shirt back down. "Someone tried to shoot me and missed?"

His head fell into his hands for a few moments, appearing to be thinking, until he looked at me with determination. "I told you, I won't let anything happen to you. As long as you're with me, you're fine. You believe me, right?"

I frowned, looking down at my lap. "Of course I believe you. But what if they're after my family, too? I can't let anyone die."

"You're not going to die. I'll protect you," he said in assurance.

He wasn't getting it. To him, it was all about me, but to me, it was about everyone other than me. "What about my family?" I asked quietly.

"I…" he started, then paused. "I don't know, Petal. What do you want me to say? That I can protect them, too? I can't."

My heart dropped. "Then their deaths are on me."

"You don't know they're in any danger."

"That's the thing. I'm not sure I can handle not knowing. I can't risk it. I need to be certain they're okay." I didn't know how I wanted them to be protected, just that I wanted to know firsthand they were out of harm's way. The death of my father, sister, or even my alleged husband was something I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for if there was a chance I could prevent it.

"So, what does that mean?" he questioned, slightly angry. "You're going to call them up and ask if they're fine? You're supposed to be keeping a low profile."

Simply calling wouldn't put my fears at bay. Being selfish was no longer an option. My gut told me what needed to be done. It was something that terrified me to the core, but I had to do it. I had to. These people cared about me, and on some level, I cared for them, too. It was because I cared about them that I would do this.

"Things have changed, Edward," I spoke softly. I'd made up my mind.

He simply stared at me, devoid of emotion. "You're leaving, aren't you?" he asked evenly.

I brought my hand up to his face, caressing his cheek. His eyes closed. "It's the only way," I whispered.

His eyes snapped open, a wild look in them. "You said you'd stay, but now you want to go? Did you lie to me all this time?"

"No!" I exclaimed, grabbing onto his fisted hands in his lap. "I didn't lie to you. I meant it when I said I wasn't going anywhere…but now…" I let out a sigh. "You have to understand—"

He yanked his hands away and stood, glaring down at me. "If you walk out that door, I know you won't come back."

"Edward, the only place I want to be is here!"

"Then why the hell are you leaving me?" he yelled, crazed. He was desperate, but so was I.

I wanted so very much to be with him forever, but finally, I was thinking rationally. The hiding out had to end. I'd go home. My family needed me.

"Because it's something I have to do," I said calmly.

Without another word, he stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door like thunder. Loud crashes ensued, echoing throughout the house. Sadie and Tucker howled, as if they were in pain. I simply remained on the couch, breathing in and out slowly…just waiting...

After several minutes, there was silence. No crashes, no dogs barking, just dead air. Another few minutes went by…and another…until the bedroom door creaked open at a snail's pace. Edward slumped against the doorway, a defeated look on his face, his bloodshot eyes refusing to look at me. It had me wondering if he'd been crying, but that wasn't like him at all.

"I'll take you to the station tomorrow," he offered, his voice hoarse.

I stood and approached him. Not sure how he'd react, I carefully wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him, because this was the man that'd become the biggest part of my life, and I needed him to know how special he was to me.

He didn't hug back.

"Edward, I know you think that because I'm married there's no way I can return, but I'll find a way to get out of that. I promise I'll come back to you."

He unraveled my arms from around his waist, an emptiness emanating from him. "No, you won't."


	16. One More Day

**A/N: **

**Beta is Lindz26. Pre-reader is MichelleMMarie.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIXTEEN<br>*One More Day***

The next morning, I awoke to an empty bed. Instead of getting up to go search him out, I merely stared up at the ceiling.

Last night had been tiresome. I'd spent hours trying to convince Edward that I would return once I knew my family was safe. He'd spent the same amount of time refuting my assuring words. He didn't believe me, convinced that as soon as I stepped back into my old life, I wouldn't want to leave. How wrong he was.

Everything about my old life, from what I knew, seemed foreign. Being rich, an heiress to a large company, having a well-groomed husband…it all screamed _snob_. That wasn't me. I wasn't a snob. I liked living the way I'd been for some time now.

This small cabin felt like I belonged in it. And the slightly rundown Redwood Tavern was like my second home. Los Angeles did _not_ seem like home.

So, from henceforth, I would see it as a sort of temporary visit. To me, that was what it was, anyway. A temporary visit. Of course, Edward didn't see it that way. As ever, he remained certain we were done for. I supposed I would just have to prove it to him.

Finally out of bed, I found Edward seated at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.

"Get your stuff together," he said straight away. No hello. No good morning.

I folded my arms across my chest, stung by his words. "So, that's it. You're pushing me out?"

He set his mug on the table more roughly than he should've, a small amount of coffee tipping over the edge. "You're the one that wants to go," he snapped.

I sighed, realizing this was just his own defense mechanism. "I was thinking…maybe I could stay one more day."

I'd thought about it before I fell asleep last night. It might've been me just wanting to stall, but to spend another day with Edward would be one more chance at making him believe I'd return. Because I'd come back if it was the last thing I ever did.

The distant expression he'd been wearing changed slightly, infusing a touch of curiosity. "Why?" he asked.

Seeing he was caving, I took advantage and sat astride his lap. Surprisingly, he let me, moving the chair back a bit so I could fit between him and the table. He didn't dare take his eyes off my face as I wrapped my arms around his neck and combed my fingers lightly through his hair.

"Because I'm not ready," I admitted softly. "I just need one more day with you. Don't you want that, as well?"

By now, he was looking at me as a broken man would. "Petal, I want every day with you."

I frowned, knowing that wasn't in the cards yet. What I wouldn't give for that to be my life—just him, all the time. "Why do you say things that make me want to stay? You should be encouraging me to do the right thing."

"I know you have to leave. I get that. It doesn't mean that I'm going to jump for joy. I'm telling you, I want you here."

"And I'm telling you, I'm coming back."

He shook his head as he looked away.

I was tired, fed up. Nothing I said was getting through to him. "What do I have to say to make you believe that I'm coming back?" I questioned, near desperate.

"I think you think you believe it," he spoke in finality.

Frustrated, I stood. "You know what? If this is how you're going to act, then I might as well leave right now."

He got up angrily, knocking the chair back. His glare on me was fierce. And then his mouth was on mine, and his fingers wove ravenously into my hair. I gripped onto his shirt, needing to ground myself as I kissed him back with overflowing need. Need to win. Need to be with him.

He pulled back abruptly, a feral edge in his stormy eyes. "You're not going anywhere yet," he spoke gruffly, and swept me off the floor.

We made it to the bedroom, where I was tossed and covered by his warm body. Our joining wasn't gentle at all. And it was just what we needed.

X-X-X-X

A light kiss was pressed to my shoulder, bringing me out of my slumber.

"Wake up." His voice was a caressing whisper in my ear.

I breathed in deeply and shifted slightly, feeling the length of his bare body directly behind me. "What time is it?" I croaked.

Teeth nipped at my earlobe. "Quarter past seven in the evening. The sun should set soon."

I raised my arms above my head, stretching. My body was quite sore…in a good way. We'd spent the entire day making love on and off. There were times we'd stopped to talk and just embraced, soaking each other in...while we could.

Edward sat up and retrieved his boxers off the floor. "Get dressed. I'd like to take you somewhere," he said, and stood from the bed.

Moving onto my side, I watched him raise the boxers up to his hips. "Where?"

"Don't ask questions." He grabbed his shirt off the ground and tossed it to me. "Throw this on quickly."

I scoffed, fingering the white cotton. "I can't wear only this out."

He chuckled lightly, a stark difference from the anger he held earlier. "No one will see you."

In silent acceptance, I put it on, covering myself enough that there wouldn't be a free peepshow if anyone happened to see. He was also scantily dressed, only wearing his boxers with no shirt or shoes. I definitely had no issue with that.

His hand reached out to me, and I took it, letting him help me out of bed and lead me to the front door. He pulled me through the depth of the woods as the sky began to turn a light pink in the beginnings of a grand sunset.

Before I knew it, we stood facing the flowing river. My hand tightened around Edward's in security. Why had he brought me here?

"It's okay," he said in a soothing tone, and removed his hand from my fierce clutch.

Inwardly, a slight panic bubbled up, until he dropped his boxers to the ground. My mouth dropped, and I swiftly glanced up and down the river, just in case someone had seen him bare himself. Thank goodness we were definitely alone.

A carefree laugh burst out of me. "What are you doing? You're insane," I remarked.

His smile was mischievous as he discarded the boxers to the side with his foot. "Maybe I am," he said, and his fingers were soon tugging on the hem of my shirt, lifting it over my head.

A cold chill danced around us, but I couldn't feel it due to his warm hands moving up and down my sides. Those expressive eyes of his were trained on my upper half, taking me in hungrily. He breathed in through his nose loudly, not speaking a word as he continued his leering.

Following his lead, I smoothed my palms over his broad shoulders and began memorizing every part of him my hands touched.

He suddenly pulled my hips towards him as he took a step back. He took another step back, leading me along. When I realized he was edging us toward the river, alarms went off in my head, and I tried to stop.

"No, Edward," I urged in fear.

He immediately halted and rubbed my upper arms in a calming gesture. "It's okay. I'm right here."

I shook my head, my breathing uneven. "I'm not going in there. I can stand near it, but I can't_ be_ in it."

"Yes, you can," he encouraged, and swept his thumb over my cheek. "You can do anything."

I wanted to believe him. I really did. "Not this," I whispered.

"At least put your feet in. Can you do that?"

Not wanting to disappoint him, I let out a sigh of resignation. "Yes, but that's all I can do."

With his help, I managed get my feet fully in. He went ahead of me and led me slowly until the cold water surrounded my ankles. Doing this wasn't an issue for me, considering I'd dipped my feet in the water before. It was immersing my entire body that I knew I couldn't handle.

"You okay?" he asked, giving my hands a squeeze.

I nodded my reply and stared down as I wiggled my toes in the water.

"Now, how about up to your calves?"

My eyes lifted to his in concern. "No, I can't."

"Just try, and if it gets too much, we'll go back home."

With a heavy exhale, I agreed and slowly moved further into the water with him.

"That's my girl," he said proudly, causing me to smile. "Let's try up to your knees."

My smile instantly dropped. "Edward, stop. I see what you're doing. I can't do this."

His calm demeanor didn't change. "That's what you said before and look—half your legs are in."

I swallowed thickly and looked up the river. The flow was rough. "What if I get swept away?" I questioned, finally voicing my fear.

"You won't."

I still didn't feel completely at ease. "What if—"

"Petal," he interrupted, cupping my face, "you're going to be fine. I'm right here."

I frowned at myself. For whatever reason, he wanted to be in the river, and I was putting up a fuss. Just for him, I could try and put aside my fear. Determined, I let him pull me further in, him moving backward, me moving forward. The freezing liquid numbed my skin as I sunk into it.

When my entire torso was covered, Edward stopped and secured me to him so our bodies fit together.

"You made it," he said.

"I did," I spoke victoriously. The trick had been to not really think about it too much.

"It's not so bad, right?"

My mind drifted to a scenario of my body being tossed around…my lungs blocked.

"Relax," he breathed, his mouth an inch from my own. Long arms tightened their hold around me.

I calmed at his words and pressed my cheek to his shoulder.

"Cold?" he inquired.

"Freezing," I answered honestly.

"Give it a minute. Your body will adjust."

So, I did. And just like he said, my body did adjust. My teeth stopped chattering, and his hands grew bold, feeling me sensually along my spine and dipping down to the curve of my backside. His fingers wound around my thighs, and my legs were strategically wrapped around his waist.

"Lean back," he requested.

"Why?" I asked hesitantly.

Instead of answering, he pushed lightly against my chest, and I let him. My head rested on top of the rushing water, my hair becoming soaked and my ears dipping into the river. I could see straight up to the glorious, golden pink sky as it neared the demise of today's sunset.

Carefully, I moved my arms out to my sides, letting them float freely. The comfort of his presence made me relax. And I became so relaxed that I was able to close my eyes to enjoy the experience.

Edward's hands roamed my body slowly, trailing up my stomach and surrounding my breasts. I let out a small sigh of pleasure, letting him know I liked what he was doing. Soon, his tongue flattened over my hardened nipple, and I could feel him between my legs, poised right at my entrance.

In an unhurried movement, he slipped inside, causing a sharp intake of breath from me. His movements were languid, deliberate, as if needing our joining to last forever.

"I'll miss you," he said sadly.

I couldn't respond or even open my eyes for fear that I would ruin this beautiful moment, because of course I would miss him, too. With all my heart. And I was almost certain he knew just in the way he lifted me and brought me into him, needing our faces to be near.

He continued to move passionately within me, until he came, pulling out and releasing into the unrelenting river. For a moment, neither of us moved, our heavy breathing and tight holds doing the talking for us.

Later, as he carried me back to our warm bed, I knew for certain I was in love. And that would make leaving all the more difficult. For inside, I already felt dead, knowing I would have to be without him.

X-X-X-X

Our last day together had ended the way I'd imagined it to, with me in his arms. But now, I was facing the next day with a sense of utter dread—one, because I had no idea what to expect, and two, because if I didn't go through with this, whoever was after me might surely go after my family, as well.

The drive to the police department was one of resignation and solemnity. His hand was clasped with mine in my lap for the duration of the ride. We didn't speak. What could be said? This was happening, and that was it.

The truck came to a stop outside a white one-story house that seemed to lack occupants. There were children's toys scattered around the front lawn, though, which meant the householders would be back. I wondered briefly just how close I was with my family and how happy they'd be to see me.

"The station is just a block down," Edward spoke, his voice calm and unlike I knew mine would be.

Right. He didn't want to be seen. I would have to be on my own from this point on.

He suddenly opened the glove compartment, pulling out a tattered paperback. "I want you to have this," he offered, placing his Vietnam War book into my opened palm. His fingers curled around the book and my hand. "You'll remember me this way."

There was something in his words that tugged at my heartstrings in the worst way. All the pent up emotional energy I'd withheld until this moment came bursting through. I slid across the seat to him and flung my arms around his neck, hugging him to me.

"Quit talking as if you won't see me again." I'd tried to make it sound as if I was reprimanding him, but it came out more like whispered plea.

He sighed into my hair, but didn't offer a response.

I pulled back, grabbed the shopping bag full of my belongings, and opened it up to him. "Look inside," I instructed. "Tell me what's missing."

His hands rifled cautiously through the items in my bag, until he clearly found what was absent. "You have three dresses. Where's your third one?"

I closed the bag and set it aside for now. "It's hanging up in our closet at home," I said with a warm smile. "I told you that I'm coming back. If I didn't plan on it, I would've taken it with me."

His eyes searched mine, but I could see no change in belief from him. He was so set in his thoughts that I wouldn't return. It hurt me that he continued to think that, but I would have to bear it until I could, in fact, be with him again. Unless…

"Come with me." The words tumbled from my mouth freely without much forethought. But watching his downcast expression only solidified why I hadn't asked before. In his mind, I belonged to another, and for him, that meant there was no place in my life where I was going. "I'll find a way to come back," I continued, "because I only want you."

All my surroundings gave way as he lifted his hand to my face and caressed the apple of my cheek. His lips met mine in the comfortable, familiar, yet sweet way we'd grown used to. My heart broke in that moment. It felt like the kind of kiss that would be our last. I tried to assure myself it would only be our last for a short duration.

One final nip at my bottom lip, and he stopped the kiss. Our foreheads came together as our breaths slowed.

"I can't come with you into the station," he spoke regrettably. "But I won't leave until I know you're in there."

I nodded wordlessly against his forehead, for fear I'd alarm him with an outpouring of uncontrollable sobs. I wanted so desperately to tell him I loved him. I had no qualms about being the first to say it, given he might feel the same, but my reasoning for withholding those three words was much more complicated than that.

To say I loved him and then depart from his life for an unmeasured amount of time would be a slap in the face. He deserved my undivided attention when I told him. He deserved someone that would be his and his only. I would be that girl for him. But right now, it wasn't possible. That didn't mean that I wouldn't do everything in my power to ensure the doors opened for us. My determination would be unyielding.

"I have to go," I uttered finally, but was unable to move.

"I know."

This pull we had to each other had its drawback, because now, when we had to part, it was near impossible.

After several minutes of sitting in silence, I finally gathered my things and wrapped my spare hand around the door handle. "Thank you for trusting me with your book," I said shakily, taking him in one more time. "I'll keep it safe for you."

The corner of his mouth lifted into a forlorn smile.

At this point, I should've been leaving, but…I just couldn't. My body wouldn't move any further. "Turn back around," I demanded abruptly.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Let's go home," I urged, tears building in my eyes and a sense of panic surfacing. "I can't leave you."

He took my hand off the handle and embraced it between both of his. There was a strong resolve in his eyes, and I was unsure where it had come from.

"_Shhh_," he consoled, and placed a chaste kiss to the back of my hand. "I may not want you to go, but this is the right thing. You're making the right choice. I know it was selfish of me to ask you to stay. It was a long shot that it would've actually panned out." He paused, appearing to be thinking about his words. "The thing is I've been alone for years…but the second you came into my life, I suddenly couldn't stand to be alone. I get it now that your family needs you more than I do."

"You don't need me?" My voice was husky from crying.

He shook his head. "I _want_ you," he replied. "I'm a greedy man, Petal. Always have been. I don't think that'll ever change."

My nerves had calmed by now, and I gave him a small pout. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You're a good man, Edward."

His eyes dropped down to my lap. "You better go."

Knowing he was right, I brought my lips to his soft ones, memorizing the texture, cementing the feel and taste of him in my brain.

"I'll come back to you," I whispered in finality, and exited the truck before I talked myself out of it again. I was about to shut the door, when I remembered something. "Do me a favor. Tell Alice I'll miss her."

He nodded once, and his hand came up in a sort of half-hearted, unmoving wave.

Closing that door was one of the hardest things I had to do, but I managed to. As I walked away, I warred with myself not to look back at him. I knew that if I did, there was no way I could fulfill what needed to be done.

Unknowingly, I had made it to the police department and entered the building. The station was abuzz with several men and women dressed in dark police uniforms. Looking through a nearby window inside the building, there was a direct view to the street I'd just come from. A dark green, familiar truck passed by slowly, almost to a crawl, before it disappeared out of sight.

A lump formed in my throat, realizing how real this was. Coming forward with my true identity was something I'd thought of in future tense, but now, it was very much a part of my present.

With a slow exhale, I approached the front desk, where a hefty woman in uniform resided. She was intensely preoccupied by something on her computer, paying me no mind as I stood in front of her.

"Hi," I greeted meekly, uncertain how else to get her attention.

"Just take a seat over there, and I'll be with you in a minute," she spoke distractedly.

I cleared my throat, trying to withhold the animosity I felt at getting the brush-off. "This is actually important."

"And so is this," she said, annoyed, and finally looked up at me. Her eyes turned to saucers and her jaw went slack. She looked incredibly shocked.

"My name is Isabella Cullen-White."

**- END OF PART ONE –**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**The beginning of part two will commence in a few weeks, no date determined as of yet, but follow me on Twitter (xrxdanixrx) and you'll find out when I know for sure. **

**In the mean time, I'll be sending out random teasers from future chapters of part two. For a glimpse, please review. If you're like me and don't enjoy being spoiled but would still like to comment on this chapter, then just let me know you don't want a teaser. **

**I just want to say a huge thank you to each of you for reading thus far. I hope you continue on to find out where they go from here. See you soon. **

**Recs: **

**_Off the Beaten Path_ by rpgirl27 - This is a multifaceted period piece about rivalry and forbidden love. Set in the early 20th century, the author makes you feel like you're really in that time.**

**_Theories of Bellativity_ by kikki7 - A light, humorous read after all the angsty updates. :-)  
><strong>


End file.
